On January 5, 2022, 6-year-old Ra'nesha Jackson died after being struck by a pickup truck on a highway in Auburndale, Florida. In the early morning hours, her parents had been in a verbal altercation, after which the father left the home to go to a gas station and the mother subsequently left to go on a walk, leaving Ra'nesha and her four younger siblings (ages 9 months to 4 years) unsupervised and sleeping. Ra'nesha apparently awoke, heard her mother leave, and left the home to look for her. An Auburndale police officer spotted the child near the intersection of Highway 92 and State Road 544 around 6:24 a.m. and attempted to turn around to check on her, but before he could reach her, she ran into the street and was struck by an oncoming pickup truck. She was transported to Winter Haven Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 6:35 a.m. The cause of death was determined to be blunt impact to the head from a pedestrian vs. motor vehicle collision. The family had a lengthy child welfare history involving parental substance abuse, domestic violence, and a prior removal of children from the home in 2018. The mother tested positive for cocaine and THC at the hospital the morning of the incident.
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)?
The CIRRT report (2022-003529.pdf) states: "the parents were in a verbal altercation at which point the mother left the residence, leaving Ra'nesha and her four younger siblings (ages 9 months to 4 years of age) sleeping in the home. The father, 55-year-old Craig Jackson had left the home a few minutes before the mother left the home." Both parents left five children (ages 9 months to 6 years) unsupervised. Ra'nesha then "walked onto the highway and was struck by an on-coming truck." The news article quotes the police chief: "why was a 6-year old child out at 6:30 in the morning in the dark by herself? That's concerning for us." The aunt stated: "This is neglect. You could say that's neglect."
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
The CIRRT report (2022-003529.pdf) states: "In September 2021, an investigation was received concerning Ra'nesha being injured by the father, sustaining an injury to her eye after he swung a belt at her." While the family denied the specific injury, "Ra'nesha stated she receives spankings with a belt when she misbehaves." Additionally, in October 2016, "the mother engaged in a physical altercation with a friend while holding Ra'nesha in her arms. Ra'nesha subsequently hit her head on the concrete when the mother fell." These are instances of inflicted injury or injury resulting from violent acts involving the child.
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
The CIRRT report (2022-003529.pdf) states that Ra'nesha died "after she was struck by a truck when she went into traffic." The autopsy determined the cause of death as "blunt impact to head pedestrian vs motor vehicle collision." The news article corroborates: "The girl, Ra'Nesha Jackson, died after being hit by a pickup truck."
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)?
The CIRRT report (2022-003529.pdf) states: "In September 2015, the mother gave birth [REDACTED] substance-exposed newborn (SEN), after she and Ra'nesha were positive for THC." This indicates Ra'nesha herself was a substance-exposed newborn. Additionally, other siblings were also substance-exposed: "In January 2017... the mother gave birth to [REDACTED] and both mother and child were positive for THC" and in April 2021, the infant sibling and mother "testing positive for cocaine and THC upon his birth."
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?
Craig Jackson is identified as the father in the CIRRT report (2022-003529.pdf). The report states he "had left the home a few minutes before the mother left the home," leaving the children unsupervised. The child fatality summary (2022-003529-1.pdf) confirms the mother disclosed that "the father had left the home to go to a gas station, she knew the children were asleep, so she went on a walk." Both parents' departure resulted in the children being left alone, which led to Ra'nesha wandering into traffic and being killed.
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Tracey Wilson is identified as the mother in the CIRRT report (2022-003529.pdf). She left the residence after the altercation, and "It is believed that the child heard the mother leave the home and left the home to look for her mother" (2022-003529-1.pdf). The mother's departure directly precipitated the child wandering into traffic. Additionally, the mother tested positive for cocaine and THC upon arrival at the ER per the child fatality summary.
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?
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)
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?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
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 CIRRT report (2022-003529.pdf) documents an extensive history of child protection reports: "The Jackson/Wilson family has a lengthy history with the Department from 2008-2021, with most concerns stemming from substance use and household violence." Multiple reports are detailed from September 2015, October 2016, January 2017, three in 2018, October 2020, April 2021, and September 2021. The fatal incident report was triggered specifically because "the family was involved in a verified report received within 12 months of Ra'nesha's death."
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
The CIRRT report (2022-003529.pdf) states that in December 2018, due to parental substance use and domestic violence, the children were removed from the parents' care: "Ra'nesha and [REDACTED] were placed in licensed foster care." Ra'nesha was subsequently reunified with her parents in July 2020, and was not in foster care at the time of her death in January 2022.
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?
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The CIRRT report (2022-003529.pdf) documents multiple instances of domestic violence. In June 2018: "The father was arrested after a verbal argument turned physical and he began choking the mother." In December 2018: "the parents engaged in another violent altercation." In October 2020: "Ra'nesha was injured when the parents engaged in a physical altercation." The child fatality summary (2022-003529-1.pdf) notes the mother "indicated arguments have turned physical in the past." The night of Ra'nesha's death began with a verbal altercation between the parents.
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?
The CIRRT report (2022-003529.pdf) states: "the consultation form does not reflect that the history of the mother's possible mental health and/or past substance misuse was addressed." While framed as a deficiency in the BHC consultation, the reference to "the mother's possible mental health" suggests there were concerns about the mother's mental health that warranted assessment but were not adequately explored.
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
The CIRRT report (2022-003529.pdf) references "the long criminal history of the father around drug sales." Additionally, the father "was arrested after a verbal argument turned physical and he began choking the mother" in June 2018. Both of these predate the fatal incident in January 2022.
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The CIRRT report (2022-003529.pdf) extensively documents parental substance use. The mother tested positive for cocaine and THC on multiple occasions, including at Ra'nesha's birth in 2015, at a sibling's birth in 2018, and at another sibling's birth in April 2021. The father tested positive for cocaine in December 2018. The report notes "the mother has an extensive history of substance use including cocaine and frequent relapse and gave birth to three substance-exposed children." The child fatality summary (2022-003529-1.pdf) also states: "The mother tested positive for Cocaine and THC upon arrival at the Emergency Room" on the day of Ra'nesha's death.
Notable Details
The CIRRT report (2022-003529.pdf) identifies several significant systemic and practice failures. The final risk assessment was incorrectly scored as "High" instead of "Very High," which "would have required another second-tier consultation prior to closure" and "would have allowed another opportunity for the case to have a full review and discussion." The report also states: "There was insufficient information documented in the case to support the final safety determination of SAFE and case closure." Additionally, the staffing determined "if the mother does not engage with the programs referred through the investigation, the CPI would staff with legal, but there was no information to support the change in that trajectory for a final safety determination of SAFE." NTF closed their case in July 2021 "after failed attempts to engage the mother in a substance abuse evaluation." The mother tested positive for cocaine and THC at the ER the morning of Ra'nesha's death (2022-003529-1.pdf), indicating continued substance use despite referrals. These documented failures represent potential missed opportunities to intervene before the fatal incident.
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