She’s long gone, but the shift that Phylis Gilmore and Sam Brownback put into the Kansas Department of Children and Families left consequences of an anti-life, pro-save money agenda that put Kansas children at grave risk.
Today, the state announced they will settle a lawsuit over the 2012 death of Jayla Michelle Haag Watters. Her case is truly horrific, from the Wichita Eagle:
An 18-month-old girl who lived in an El Dorado meth house died after the Kansas agency that investigates child abuse did nothing, a 2014 lawsuit had said. Her brain had swelled, her teeth had been forcibly removed and she had tested positive for meth.
On Monday, Kansas officials described the 2012 death of Jayla Michelle Haag Watters as “horrific” and said she had been tortured as they approved a $75,000 settlement with the girl’s father, Steven Watters.
Her teeth were forcibly removed. Her brain had swollen from abuse. Her life was ended at 18 months. Aware and informed, but also underfunded and understaffed, DCF “missed” and the child was lost.
