State review: Child welfare workers failed in case of murdered 4-year-old

CLEVELAND -- (WJW) -- The FOX 8 I-TEAM has learned a state review found Cuyahoga County child welfare workers failed again and again in the case of Aniya Day Garrett, a 4-year-old murdered in March.

Her mother and mother's boyfriend are facing charges.

But, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reviewed how the county handled five investigations into suspected abuse of the child. The state found tips came in more than a year before the child was murdered.

Yet, in one case, a caseworker never saw the child face to face.

Caseworkers didn't take the child away even after the child told caseworkers in two investigations, "Mommy did it."

The review also found, three times, the mother agreed to get counseling and community services to help with raising Aniya, but the mother never followed through. And, case workers never checked either.

The state, months ago, started the process of trying to close two day care centers for not reporting suspected abuse of Aniya. And this report shows, when those reports finally came to light, case workers didn't get copies of those reports, or consider them.

Court records show Sierra Day, Aniya's mother, and Deonte Lewis, her mother's boyfriend, could face trial before the end of this year.