The family of 22-month-old Mandisa Sizemore is searching for answers after the young girl died unexpectedly while in foster care.
According to a spokesperson for Cuyahoga County, the Department of Children and Family Services requested and was granted custody of the girl on April 27th. The child was placed in a home Sizemore’s family was familiar with. But less than two months later, she died on June 16.
Family members say they were never satisfied by the county taking custody or placing her in foster care.
“The parents and the family had already reported this lady previously about abuse with this child,” said Stanley Jackson who is the managing attorney at the Cochran Firm speaking on behalf of Sizemore’s extended family.
“The child, at one point a few months prior to that, had busted blood vessels in her eyes, a busted lip. [She] was taken to the hospital emergency for that – nothing was done.”
Jackson says they also believe it was neglect that led to her death.
“Mandisa Sizemore was unattended. And she was apparently chewing playing cards and died,” said Jackson.
According to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s office, Sizemore’s death was caused by “choking on foreign material.” In all caps, it also says "ACCIDENTAL." But still, her family wants a complete investigation into the foster mother and the home where she was placed.
According to Jackson, investigators were immediately dissatisfied by what they saw at the foster home on the night of Sizemore’s death.
“The conditions when they arrived were deplorable,” Jackson recalls. “And I mean that in the sense that it was not a place that anyone would believe that foster kids could live or a home that would have been approved by any agency.”
The county spokesperson says the foster home has been in use for about 10 years, adding that procedure requires that if a child is placed in a home, the social worker must visit the home and see the child at least once a month. According to the county, records show the social worker visited more often than recorded.
3News has requested, but not yet received, a copy of the records cited by officials.
While Sizemore’s death has been ruled accidental by the medical examiner, Sizemore’s family wants to see the foster mother and the County held accountable based on what they know so far.
“We’re all a part of this community,” said Jackson. “And we’re embarrassed by the fact that we have a system that is not adequate to make sure that our children are protected.”
The investigation by the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services is ongoing.