Three-year-old Hope Jones died on July 12, 2022, in Southwest Philadelphia while in the kinship foster care of Kiana Casey, a first cousin of the child's father. The child had been placed in Casey's home through DHS in November 2020. A postmortem examination revealed numerous contusions, hemorrhages, healing rib fractures, deep hemorrhages on all parts of both arms and legs, damaged organs, and internal bleeding — evidence of significant physical abuse on repeated occasions. A DHS-subcontracted social worker, Jendayi Mawusi, visited Casey's home on July 12, approximately one hour before emergency responders were called and attempted to save the child's life. Casey was charged with Third Degree Murder and other offenses, while Mawusi was subsequently charged with Third Degree Murder, Involuntary Manslaughter, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child for repeatedly failing to report signs of abuse and failing to ensure medical care was sought for the child.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
The DA's statement (Document 1) describes the Medical Examiner's findings: "the deceased child had sustained numerous contusions and hemorrhages to her body, several fractures to the rib that were healing at the time of death, and deep hemorrhages on all parts of both of her arms and legs." It further states these injuries indicate "the deceased child had sustained significant physical abuse on repeated occasions." The news article (Document 2) also notes "fatal injuries including cuts and bruises on her face, arms, legs and torso, along with damaged organs, broken ribs and internal bleeding."
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
The DA's statement (Document 1) states that "Mawusi is alleged to have failed on multiple occasions to follow up on instructions given to Casey to seek medical care for Jones." This implies that Casey was instructed to seek medical care for the child but failed to do so, and the case manager also failed to ensure it happened — both indicating medical neglect of the child.
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
The DA's statement (Document 1) identifies Kiana Casey as the child's "foster guardian" who is "charged with murder." The DA's statement also describes the placement as "Casey's kinship care." Casey was both a relative and a foster parent/guardian.
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
The news article (Document 2) states: "DHS said the child was placed in Casey's care because she is a relative — the first cousin of the girl's father, according to a source." Casey is a relative of the child (the father's first cousin) who was charged with the child's murder, making her an adult relative involved in the death.
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
The DA's statement (Document 1) states: "Mawusi was assigned as the Case Manager for Hope Jones from the time she was placed in Casey's care in November of 2020 until Jones' death in July 2022." It also describes Casey as the child's "foster guardian" and the placement as "Casey's kinship care." The child was in foster care at the time of death.
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
The news article (Document 2) states: "DHS said the child was placed in Casey's care because she is a relative — the first cousin of the girl's father." The child was living with a relative (Casey) who was not a biological parent, under a kinship foster care arrangement.
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
The child was placed in foster care in November 2020, which inherently means there was prior child protection involvement to remove her from her biological parents. Additionally, the DA's statement (Document 1) notes that "under Casey's kinship care, Hope Jones' health and well-being significantly and severely declined over time" and that Mawusi "failed to file incident reports after observing injuries incurred by Jones," indicating there were observable concerns during the placement that should have generated child protection reports but were not filed properly.
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
The DA's statement (Document 1) states: "Kiana Casey (DOB: 6/17/1992) is already charged with murder" — specifically Third Degree Murder, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Tampering with Evidence, Aggravated Assault of a Child, and Intimidation. Additionally, Jendayi Mawusi was charged with "Third Degree Murder, Involuntary Manslaughter, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child" and "was arrested by Philadelphia Police on Monday, October 10th."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Several systemic issues are explicitly described. The DA's statement (Document 1) details how Jendayi Mawusi, a DHS-subcontracted social worker and state-mandated reporter, was criminally charged with Third Degree Murder, Involuntary Manslaughter, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child for failing to report suspected abuse and failing to follow up on medical care instructions — an unusual charging decision for a caseworker. The case highlights the CUA (Community Umbrella Agency) subcontracting model used by Philadelphia's DHS, in which Northeast Treatment Centers (NETs) was the contracted agency. Councilmember Cindy Bass (Document 2) stated: "They're taxpayer-funded and are expected to provide the highest level of quality, and that just has not happened" and blamed the CUA system for failing children. The DA acknowledged that "social work is among the most difficult and the most undervalued professions" and called for systemic improvement. Both documents underscore that the subcontracting structure and oversight failures contributed to the child's death, with a caseworker visiting the home just one hour before the child was taken by ambulance with fatal injuries.
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