A failed child protection system placed these two babies in a house of horrors. Turning them over to a husband and wife who eventually were allowed to adopt, torture and murder them after years of reported abuse and neglect. On a stretch of I-95 in West Palm Beach, FL the torture finally ended when officials discovered a van on the side of the road. In it were the twins and the driver Jorge Barahona. The body of the little girl, Nubia was found in a garbage bag in the rear of the van of her adoptive father. The boy, Victor in the front seat dosed with toxic chemicals and so badly burned that he was barely alive.
Over the years that they had responsibility for Nubia and Victor as well as two other children police had been called to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Barahona 16 times. Several of these calls resulted in no police report. The twins had a Guardian ad Litem which is required in foster care situations, but only up until adoption. Once an adoption is final the court appointed child advocate is no longer involved. The advocate in this case voiced concerns of abuse and neglect to both the Department of Children and Families and to the courts. Each time the powers that be heard from the foster parents and each time were convinced by the foster parents that the children were being treated well. The most recent complaints had come from a child therapist who reported to DCF abuse hotline that the children were being tortured and abused came four days prior to the gruesome scene that played out on 1-95.
A terribly flawed system. A scene that occurs all too often all across the country. Children exploited, discarded and left to fend for themselves. We, as a civil society set standards. We put systems in place in order to reassure ourselves that we've taken the actions necessary to maintain these standards. Once the systems are in place we take comfort that we've done all that we can. The reasoning that follows the failures is even more disconcerting. "Sorry but we've done the best we can". Really?
George Sinacori
GES Realty
