Another Maine Child with DHHS Involvement is Dead
Again, Mainers are faced with the all too familiar case of a child being killed in their home after DHHS had been notified by a mandated reporter of the suspected abuse of a minor. In October 2022 DHHS found no child abuse had occurred. Just two months later, on Christmas morning the girl was found dead. 3- year-old Makinzlee Handrahan died resulting from “non-accidental blunt force trauma with internal head and abdomen injuries.” She suffered bruises on the top and back of her head with large clumps of hair pulled out of her head along with severe rug burns on her face. Her body had several lacerations, contusions, internal hemorrhaging along with many more injuries. Live-in boyfriend, Tyler Witham-Jordan, has been charged with depraved indifference murder.
“Why didn’t DHHS implement extraordinary surveillance procedures of the home knowing that a known drug user not only lived there, but was the caretaker of the children who lived there as well?,” asked Bill Diamond, Walk a Mile in Their Shoes founder.
Walk a Mile in Their Shoes believes it’s incumbent on Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services to be transparent about their culpability in continually failing to protect Maine’s children from abuse and death. The department’s immediate initiative should be to make the public aware of shortcomings in Maine’s child protective system, where specific failures and missed opportunities leading to tragedy have occurred and explain how these apparent issues are being addressed today. Currently, they are overusing the excuse of confidentiality.
“Efforts should be made on their part to bring up-to-date information to Maine’s Government Oversight Committee as they are engaged in an ongoing investigation into child deaths where the victims had DHHS involvement.” said Diamond.
The organization encourages other child welfare advocates to ask questions. Given the long timeframe between when Makinzlee died and Witham-Jordan being charged almost 10 months later, what are DHHS’s internal findings about their mishandling of this case and what steps have been taken to assure this does not happen again?
Walk a Mile in Their Shoes is a nonprofit corporation registered in the State of Maine. We are guided by a Board of Advisors consisting of experts in the field of child protection, state government agencies and child welfare.
Our mission and purpose are the prevention of child homicides and the abuse of children who are under the supervision or care of the State of Maine or who are or have been associated with the state Child Protection System in any manner.
Senator Bill Diamond, founder of Walk a Mile in Their Shoes, will focus on initiating in-depth research on child welfare, holding public forums to promote wide-ranging discussions by experts in the field of child protection, and creating public awareness pertaining to the ongoing problems within the Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) under the jurisdiction of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
Our nonprofit will reach out to all interested people and groups who want to join us in our efforts to protect vulnerable children in Maine. We seek advice and support from all; especially those who are subject to State rules and regulations and work directly with OCFS on a regular basis such as foster care parents, child care professionals, adopters, and others.
We acknowledge that within the OFCS there are many sincere people who have and continue to dedicate themselves to the well- being of children under their care and jurisdiction. However, we also are fully aware of the serious ongoing problems within the management at OCFS, including their obvious struggle inmaking appropriate decisions to keep children safe as was illustrated by the record number of child deaths in 2021.
Bill Diamond
Walk A Mile In Their Shoes Maine
10 Crown Point
Windham, Maine 04062
(207) 650-4713
bill@walkamilemaine.org
