DETROIT (WXYZ) — A supervisor with Child Protective Services has been placed on administrative leave after a 9-month-old died earlier this week.
Police say around 3:51 a.m. Monday, they were called to an apartment on Schaefer Highway just off I-96. Family members of 9-month-old Kinsley Evans say about an hour later, they received a call to come to DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital, where the child had been pronounced deceased.
The child's grandmother, Asia Nelson, says after sitting in the hospital's waiting room for two hours, they were called back to identify the child's body. Nelson says her granddaughter showed obvious signs of abuse.
"She had a knot right here on her forehead, a knot right here, a big bruise on her jaw and her chest looked like it was swollen," Nelson said.
Nelson says at the time of her death, her granddaughter was in the care of her father. Nelson says on Memorial Day, her daughter allowed Kinsley to stay at the child's father's house for a few hours. They say when they went to pick the baby up later that evening, the baby's father refused to return her.
Nelson says they called police and Child Protective Services to try to retrieve the child but had no luck. They also say they tried to call the probation officer of the child's father.
"We called the police out there and asked them can y’all help get her back and they pretty much said no, there’s nothing they can do. We kept going over there trying to get Kinsley back and they told us if we show up again, we would be trespassing," Nelson said. "We had wellness checks done on her through the 2nd Precinct. It was to the point that they said if we keep calling them, having them do a wellness check, they're going to arrest us."
Nelson says they went to the Wayne County building to file a motion for an emergency return of the child, but the order is still pending.
"In my eyes, I screamed out for help from everybody. I went over there trying to kick the door down myself and the police wanted to arrest me. I screamed in the police's face that this was going to happen and they ignored me every time I said it," Nelson said.
Nelson alleges her granddaughter's father had been physically abusive to her daughter in the past. She says for that reason, he was not being permitted to see the 9-month-old. She also believes he may have been upset that her daughter no longer wanted to be romantically involved with him.
The Detroit Police Department says no one has been charged in Kinsley's death because it has not been ruled a homicide. Police say the child is currently with the Wayne County Medical Examiner as they work to determine the official cause of death. DPD says once they have that information, they can determine which charges, if any, are appropriate.
As police investigate, the state health department is also looking into the matter. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says a supervisor with Child Protective Services is on administrative leave as they investigate the handling of Kinsley's case.
MDHHS sent the following statement to 7 Action News:
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services takes very seriously its responsibility to protect children. While the department cannot discuss specifics of the case, a supervisor involved in this case has been placed on administrative leave while the department investigates how it was handled.
-Bob Wheaton, Spokesperson for MDHHS
Nelson says as she and her family struggle through the loss, she wants CPS and police to learn from it. She says she believes if they would have done more, her granddaughter might still be alive today.
"(My daughter is) screaming in the middle of the night that her baby is gone. It’s hard on everybody, and I just feel like the system failed us because I asked everything, and everything was pushed off, put to the side," a tearful Nelson said. "It’s very hard. She didn’t have a chance."
Kinsley’s family started a GoFundMe to pay for funeral expenses. If you'd like to donate, click here.
