Christiana Glenn, 8, died last month from malnutrition and a broken leg after DYFS authorities allegedly missed tips she was being mistreated by her mother
Christiana Glenn appears in a photo taken in 2006, the same year the state Division of Youth and Family Services received its first report that her mother, Venette Ovilde (seen in this 2001 photo), was neglecting her. Three more reports followed in less than two years.TRENTON — The manager of the state’s child abuse hotline was fired Monday, making her the first casualty in the scandal surrounding a mishandled hotline call about an 8-year-old Irvington girl found dead in her home nine days later.
A spokeswoman for the commissioner of the state Department of Children and Families confirmed that Margarita Marriaga, the administrator of the statewide central registry, "was relieved from service’’ in connection with the May 13 call from an anonymous tipster.
The caller told the hotline screener that he was very concerned about "the height and weight" of two children, and curious "why their mother had to carry them," according to Allison Blake, commissioner of the Department of Children and Families.
Blake said the screener, who had been on the job for less than a year, took incomplete notes and decided the call did not merit an investigation or a visit to the house, Blake said.
Irvington police recovered the body of Christiana Glenn from her family’s apartment on May 22, and an autopsy determined that she died from an untreated broken leg and malnutrition.
Her mother, Venette Ovilde, 29, has pleaded not guilty to aggravated manslaughter and child endangerment charges. A roommate, Myriam Janvier, 23, also pleaded not guilty to child endangerment charges.
Family and friends say Ovilde and Janvier were devoted to the religious teachings of a man who demanded the women consume only Haitian soup and crackers and dress in white. He also demanded that they break off ties with their families.
Ovilde required her children, Christiana, and her surviving brother, 6, and sister, 7, to fast as well, the friends and relatives said, did not enroll them in school, and did not provide medical care.
Marriaga, the administrator, earned $110,000 for the job she has held since October 2009, according to Lauren Kidd, a department spokeswoman.
Her career in child welfare spans more than 20 years, according to a biography compiled for a 2010 American Academy of Pediatrics conference in which she participated. She worked in New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the Westchester County Department of Social Services before coming to New Jersey.
Marriaga, 47, has an unlisted telephone number and could not be reached for comment.
"Since Commissioner Blake was appointed to lead the Department, she has continued to make choices about retaining and replacing senior staff," Kidd said.
She added that the department was conducting its own investigation of the child’s death.
"We expect the Office of Continuous Quality Improvement’s investigation to be complete within the next few weeks, and for Commissioner Blake to review the findings and release information in a letter to stakeholders in mid July,’’ she said.
Blake has reassigned the call screener, though she was not dismissed, and has added supervisors on every shift.
Blake and her senior staff found a tape recording of the call while investigating the family’s history with the child welfare system. From 2006 to 2008, caseworkers investigated but did not corroborate four complaints accusing Ovilde of beating and neglecting her children.
Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle, (D-Bergen) who is chairwoman of the Human Services Committee, said she was pleased Blake was taking the necessary actions. "If the commissioner is holding her accountable, I am happy she is taking this step,’’ Huttle said.