Leland Valdez

This  beautiful little boy is three year old Leland Valdez. He died last week after being abused by his mother and her boyfriend. According to authorities, Leland's mom(term I use loosely), said that he fell off a chair and started having seizures! But that story didn't match up with the injuries these angel baby suffered, which were blunt trauma to the head and bruises to the face, stomach, back and legs. His doctor says he was covered in bruises and abrasions in various stages of healing. This poor baby never regained consciousness.

Here's the kicker, Leland's dad said that this is not the first time his mother had been investigated for child abuse. He said that he filed a report with CYFD in August, but there wasn't enough evidence to file a report. So instead of CYFD interveaning, they allowed both Leland and his four year old sister to return to the home of his mother. One person in particular, the supervisor Gabriella James, she is now on paid leave because of how she handled this case. James was allowed to remain on her job and make decisions about child abuse cases despite the fact that the department had a mountain of child abuse allegations against her. WTF! Intake reports show that she had an eight year old foster child removed from her home after CYFD substantiated abuse. Seriously?

Because of this, Gov. Susana Martinez is making it her business to clean up CYFD, but it comes too little, too late for little Leland Valdez. He, like so many, has become yet another victim of a failed system. Under what conditions should children every be returned to a home where there is suspected abuse. When is it ever OK to NOT investigate a abuse claim? How about NEVER! Another question is, why is Gabriella James, along with another CYFD worker on paid leave? Their jobs should have been terminated. Gabriella James should be charged with accessory to commit a crime against a minor.