Five-year-old girl was not missed for 15 months

The New York Times via SMH ^ | May 3 2002 | Dana Canedy in Miami

[dead]

Rilya Wilson ... authorities and grandmother lost track.

Two days after Florida authorities disclosed that they had lost a five-year-old Miami girl in their custody without noticing her absence for more than a year, the girl's mother, a former crack addict, said the authorities took no better care of her daughter than she did.

Officials are still looking for Rilya Wilson, who was supposed to be under monthly supervision by the Florida Department of Children and Families.

The agency and her grandmother somehow lost track of Rilya for 15 months. They realised she was missing only when a caseworker tried to check on the girl last week and did not find her at the grandmother's house.

The agency and the grandmother apparently each thought the other had custody, so no-one went looking for the girl, who was four when she disappeared.

A police spokesman said: "Apparently the department went to do a follow-up with the grandmother, and the grandmother basically told them: 'Well, I don't have her. You guys took her from me a year ago.' That's when we were notified. They have no idea where this child is."

Investigators released Rilya's picture and information about her disappearance on Monday in the hope of generating tips through the local news media.

A copy of Rilya's fingerprints was emailed on Tuesday to police in Kansas City, Missouri, to compare with those of a young girl who was found dead there last year, but they did not match.

Rilya's mother, Gloria Wilson, 28, said from her home in Cleveland that the Florida Department of Children and Families still had not tried to contact her.

"I'm really upset because I don't understand how the system could lose a child for over 15 months and not notify the biological family at all."

Ms Wilson said Rilya's name was proof that, despite her own failings, she cared for the girl.

"The letters in her name mean Remember I Love You Always," she said.

[mattdono]

...and we expect the state/federal employees to protect us on planes. Well, I guess, they can at least see the planes?

[Yellow Rose of Texas]

This is so sad and typical of Government run institutions.

[EggsAckley]

Is it just me, or IS THIS CRAZY?? Gloria Wilson, 28, said from her home in Cleveland

The mother lives in Cleveland, the state of Florida has her kid, and she hasn't checked on her all this time?
The whole story stinks. Many missing pieces to this puzzle.

[moyden]

CPS doesn't care as long as they get their adoption bounty.

[iceskater]

From what was said on the news last night, the case worker falsified documents - said she checked on the kid when in truth she did not. And this wasn't the only case where documents had been falsified. This is just the only missing kid. This is just appalling.

[Drango]

somehow ?????

[mombonn]

"I'm really upset because I don't understand how the system could lose a child for over 15 months and not notify the biological family at all."

Neither mother nor grandmother apparently inquired about the little girl during those same 15 months, if I understand the article correctly.

I hope the little girl is safely housed at a foster home somewhere, and that the foster parents have been spared visits from the Florida Department of Children and Families.

[dead]

Ms Wilson said Rilya's name was proof that, despite her own failings, she cared for the girl. "The letters in her name mean Remember I Love You Always," she said.

Well, she didn’t have time to raise her or anything, but she did give the girl a nice acronym for a name… so she had that going for her, which is nice.

[Corporate Law]

And I thought it was better that the government raised our children. (/sarcasm)

[Slainte]

That's optimistic. I hope it turns out that way. But since foster families are paid a stipend for room and board etc., I suspect something far more henious has occured. I doubt the foster family would have forgotten they were supposed to be getting a monthly check for watching the girl.

I hope that I'm wrong.

[pabianice]

Typical smarmy NYT back-door swipe at Jeb Bush. Wonder why the Stalinists running the NYT don't concentrate upon the sterling record of New York Dept. of Child Services, where hundreds of foster kids are murdered every year by their foster parents? Hello? Hello? NYT? Cat got your tongue?

[EggsAckley]

Well, she didn’t have time to raise her or anything, but she did give the girl a
nice acronym for a name… so she had that going for her, which is nice.

You're right; I forgot about that "nice" part.

[KSCITYBOY]

I saw the mom on TV this morning - what a piece of work - Blamed child services because her kid was lost. I guess she had a good excuse - a crack habit. The stupid b*tch probably has an attorney ready to sue the state for losing her kid. More crack money. A lady case worker (probably a former welfare mom herself) sat on her ass and never check on the kid, then filed fake reports. The grandmother said she called and asked where the kid was but never got an answer (cared so much yea right) so never pursued it further. Then I hear the dad has 12 other kids with different women (probably all on welfare). The system failed because these people can't wipe the own noses. The adults in this case should be lined up and shot.

[sphinx]

Back off, everybody. It takes a village. Villages sometimes make mistakes. Nobody's perfect. Lotsa kids in a village. Easy to lose one. Just one. Plenty more left. Besides, social workers need a pay hike to boost morale if we expect them to improve. Have you thought of that? You some kind of bigot or something, picking on social workers like that?

Wonder if anyone's thought to check the voter rolls to see if Rilya voted for Gore before disappearing?

[KSCITYBOY]

After all I heard about this kid in the last couple of days I would not be surprised if the grandmother sold the kid when she realized that child services wasn't checking any more. Maybe the mother got a cut of the proceeds. This whole thing stinks to high heaven.

[Clemenza]

Ever here the one about the African-American girl whose name was pronounced "Fuh-mal-e?" It was spelled "Female" of course.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Any word on what has happened to the case worker. I feel quite certain she isn't locked up, as she ought to be. Does she get any worse punishment than losing her job? Or has th union seen to it that she doesn't even get fired?

[GovernmentShrinker]

If so, I hope the agency NEVER finds her.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Then I hear the dad has 12 other kids with different women (probably all on welfare).

And that's just the ones he knows about . . .