Warning: This article contains discussion of extreme child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
A family has been awarded a $1 million settlement after filing a lawsuit against a state's child welfare agency over the death of seven-year-old boy.
Adrian Jones was killed in November 2015 while living with his father and stepmother in Kansas City.
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The young boy was tortured, murdered and fed to pigs and in 2017, his mother and other members of his family filed a lawsuit arguing Kansas state child welfare agency should've removed Adrian from the abusive home and that it could've ultimately saved his life.
The seven-year-old's body found in the pigsty on his father Michael and stepmother Heather Jones' rented property after police were called to reports of domestic violence.
The pair were both found guilty of first-degree murder and are currently in prison, having been handed sentences of 25-years-to-life. Michael later said he wanted to retract his guilty plea, claiming he'd been pressured into it by his lawyer and wasn't guilty, however, he remains in prison.
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In 2017, the Kansas Department for Children and Families released records which showed they'd received multiple reports of Adrian being abused by his dad and stepmom. However, in the four years' prior to his death, it had no contact with the family, noting the Jones' moved house frequently over the years between Kansas and Missouri. It argued it was hard to keep up with the changes.
Adrian Jones’ mother, maternal grandmother and sister subsequently filed a lawsuit alleging members of the Kansas Department for Children and Families 'chose to act like disinterested bystanders' and could've 'stepped in and rescued' the seven-year-old 'at any point during the child's lengthy, unimaginable ordeal'.
On Tuesday (12 March), after conferring with state Attorney General Kris Kobach's top deputy, top leaders of the Kansas Legislature and Governor Laura Kelly approved the settlement and the following day, it was made public.
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Kelly told reporters at the Statehouse the settlement was resolved quickly in a bid to 'not spend time litigating in courts' for 'months, maybe even years', ultimately distracting from the 'mission at hand' of improving the child welfare system.
Kansas Department for Children and Families is now required to pay half of the $1 million to Adrian's family, the other half covered by a special state fund which covers damages obtained in lawsuits.
The family's lawyer, Matt Birch, said: "This has been a long journey for Adrian’s family.
"The most important thing for the family was to hopefully make a change and make this less likely to happen in the future."
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Indeed, in 2021, the state passed a new law titled 'Adrian's Law', which requires any child who has been reported as a victim of abuse of neglect to be visited in person by a child welfare worker.
As a result, Birch resolves hopefully 'there will be more eyes on these kids'.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline on 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 24/7. You can find a list of local resources here.
Topics: Crime, Money, True crime, US News
Poppy Bilderbeck