It has been over six months since Gabriel Myers was found dead in a foster home. The head of DCF George Shelton formed a group to study the situation....but still no real answers. He was found with numerous psychotropic drugs in his system. His guardians say they had not signed off on them.
From the Miami Herald today:
Autopsy proves foster child hanged himself; why is a mystery Gabriel Myers, the 7-year-old foster child whose death sparked a statewide inquiry, died of asphyxiation after hanging himself, the Broward medical examiner's office has ruled, though authorities say they will never know whether the youngster meant to kill himself. Weeks before Gabriel roped a shower cord around his neck in the bathroom of his Margate foster home on April 16, the little boy choked himself at school, the report noted.
``Although the investigation suggests that he alone took the actions that resulted in his death, his psychiatric history suggests that this fatality may represent a tragically flawed attempt (at) self-injury for secondary gain,'' states the ME's report, written by Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Stephen J. Cina.
Here is more about the tragedies that surrounded this child and the drugs found in his system.
One of the key issues prompting DCF's detailed review of his death was the administration of several powerful mood-altering drugs on the boy, including two -- an anti-psychotic and an anti-depressant -- linked by the FDA to an increased risk of suicide among children. In his report, Cina concludes there is no way to determine whether the medications were linked to Gabriel's death.
``While several medications in (Gabriel's) blood have been associated with an increased risk of suicide in some cohorts, it cannot be proven that their presence played a role in this fatality,'' Cina wrote.
Cina's report states a ``well-documented absence'' of suicidal thinking on Gabriel's part as evidence that the boy may have meant only to gain attention when he wrapped the shower cord around his neck. Cina cites a 29-page report on the boy's death by a work group appointed by DCF Secretary George Sheldon.
Another article tells more about the abuse he apparently suffered. It does not say who was doing the abusing. Did the foster parents not know who was doing it? How could they not know?
More from
the Miami Herald:
Gabriel was on several powerful psychotropic medications, including Symbyax, before his death. That drug carries a U.S. Food and Drug Administration "black box" label warning for children's safety and increased risk of suicidal thinking. It is not approved for use with young children. But doctors often prescribe them off label.
The boy's death prompted debate at the state's child welfare agency about stricter rules for prescribing powerful antidepressants and other drugs to foster children. The drugs affect the central nervous system and can change behavior or perception. They are prescribed for depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and other psychiatric conditions. Some are used to alleviate pain.
..."The task force also said case workers, doctors and teachers failed Gabriel at several points along the way and ignored warning signs. He was in three different foster homes, switched therapists and medications, and touched classmates in a sexually inappropriate way. He also tried to strangle himself in December, leaving noticeable red marks and scratches on his neck. Gabriel also had several blunt force injuries at the time of his death, including bruises on his knees, thighs and forehead, according to the report.
The Miami Herald."
It has been over 6 months, and the Broward County Medical Examiner's report is just now coming out. It seems a copy was issued publicly before one was given to the DCF. They had to ask for a report, and it was slow in coming.
DCF doesn’t get autopsy report of 7-year-old who died in state custodyDepartment of Children and Families Secretary George Sheldon made the apparent suicide of a 7-year-old Broward County boy in foster care one of his top priorities in April. Sheldon created a working group to get to the bottom of Gabriel Myers’ death and examine why the child was on a psychotropic drug cocktail without the consent of his guardians. Despite Sheldon’s attention to the boy’s case, his office was unable to get its hands on a copy of the autopsy released to the public by the Broward County Medical Examiner early Thursday afternoon.
About an hour after the autopsy was made public around 11 a.m., Sheldon’s press secretary Joe Follick said he did not have a copy of it. He suggested getting a copy from the medical examiner.
Broward County Medical Examiner Joshua Perper quickly replied to a public records request and e-mailed a copy of the 28-page report.
Hours later, Follick still did not have a copy of it.
In June 2009 when this investigation into the use of drugs was going on...they found that there were problems with the state's computer software in this area.
Florida's family services, DCF, having software problems affecting tracking of kids.But in hundreds of cases in which a judge's consent reportedly was obtained, the date of that order came either long before — or long after — the prescription started.
For instance:
• In 10 cases around the state, DCF's records show judges signing consent orders for a variety of drugs in January 2001, but the children's prescriptions did not start until 2009.
• A 16-year-old in Marion County was approved for the antipsychotic Risperdal in August 2005, but the prescription didn't begin until May 2009.
• A 15-year-old in Duval County had a judge sign off on another antipsychotic, Abilify, in January 2007; state records show the prescription began in May 2009.
• A 14-year-old in Brevard County reportedly on the ADHD drug Adderall since 1999 received court approval in November 2008.
• A 16-year-old in Hillsborough County began taking Seroquel, an antipsychotic, in October 2005, with a judge's consent received this January.
A 7-year old boy had "several blunt force injuries at the time of his death, including bruises on his knees, thighs and forehead".
A 7-year old boy was "on numerous psychotropic drugs that his guardians had not signed off on" at the time of his death.
Too many questions left unanswered after a six-month-long investigation.
