Everyone failed Serenity and now she’s gone.
Grandparents say DHS practically cut them out of their granddaughter’s life
Oklahoma Department of Human Services workers suspended over death of child
Some if not all of you will remember the brief post April wrote about 5-year-old Serenity Deal, here.
Well since that post a lot more information has come out about the short life of Serenity and how it came to be that she would end up in the home of the man who would end her life. It is nothing short of tragic and an epic failure by CPS of Oklahoma, well known for it’s involvement in the case of Kelsey Smith-Briggs.
Serenity’s story starts on June 4th when her father Sean Devon Brooks (31) called the police to report a child not breathing. He would tell police that he had taken his daughter to work with him the night before, the next morning
while showering he heard and thud and found her unconscious. He offered no explanation for the bruises covering the baby’s body, including her face, head and a gash to the back of her head.
Well if you read April’s post you know how it ended for the child abusing asshat… he is resting his sorry ass in jail, charged with first-degree murder.
But… April wanted you to know the story leading up to Serenity’s placement with her father and in evitably her death. She has asked me to write and I am happy to oblige but it is heartbreaking to say the least, so let’s get to it.
Serenity was placed with her father, whom she had only met a short time before, after her mother was arrested for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old boy. Samantha Deal entered a blind plea to a charge of forcible sodomy of a child and will be sentenced sometime this month.
DHS was involved in the case and pushed for Brooks to have permanent custody of the daughter, he only learned of a year prior following a paternity test. Serenity had been living with her maternal grandparents, who were planning to adopt her, until it was learned that the grandmother was allowing her to have over night visits wither he mother and he boyfriend, a convicted sex offender.
Even with all of the messed up information above, it still doesn’t outline the clear failure to protect this little girl. CPS pushed for this baby to placed with a man… who she cried and begged not to go with, she would return from visits with bruises and black eyes. She would say he yelled at her all the time and hit her. Brooks of course always had excuses for her injuries. Feel free to read the link posted above that details all of the accusations and excuses… but consider yourself warned it’s going to piss you off.
Serenity Deal turned 5-years-old in May and died less than one month after being placed with her father.
She was failed by everyone who had a duty to protect her.
Four DHS employees – two supervisors and two caseworkers – are on administrative leave pending an agency investigation.
R.I.P. Serenity, you have the face of an angel.
