Two of the children killed in the recent deadly child abuse spike were under ACS supervision, NBCNewYork.com has learned.
Sanaa Brewington, 22 months old, died on March 20. Her teenage mother's boyfriend Ramel Green is accused of killing her while babysitting.
City child welfare officials were first alerted to possible risks in Sanaa's home in July of 2008 when she was just 2 months old. A tipster alerted ACS that Sanaa had fallen off the bed while her mother was sleeping.
A case was opened and last November another tipster called in a concern to the child abuse hotline. This time the accusation was that Sanaa's mother, Brittney Carter, was smoking marijuana.
Carter was sent for substance abuse counseling, but caseworkers never reported any other serious concerns about Sanaa's safety. Her case was last updated by ACS a month before her death.
Bloomberg administration sources tell NBCNewYork.com it's always more tragic when a child under ACS supervision dies of abuse. But those sources seemed to believe that in the two recent cases, no major balls had been dropped by the agency.
ACS warned parents to be careful about who they allow to babysit.
The other child known to ACS was 19-month-old Anniyah Levant died on March 25. Her mother's boyfriend, Allen Shannon, was charged in her death. Shannon is not Anniyah's father.
The medical examiner determined that Anniyah suffered blunt impact injuries to the head and torso. There was an open ACS case involving this family, following 2009 allegations of domestic violence involving Anniyah's father. ACS sent Levant's mother to counseling to help her move on from the abusive relationship.
Just before her death, ACS caseworkers reported that the children in the home were doing well and that there was no sign of any men living in the home.
Whether there were any clear warning signs about the risks to these two little girls is unknown at this time.
Sources familiar with the cases tell NBCNewYork.com that while there had been risks such as domestic violence and drug use, there had never been any allegations of physical abuse of these children.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said yesterday that the NYPD will redouble efforts to check on children in homes with known domestic violence.
