March 14, 2011
It is apparent that significant gaps and failure in common sense, critical thinking, ownership, follow-through and timely and accurate information sharing defined the care of Victor and Nubia Barahona from the very beginning of their relationship with our state child welfare system. This systematic failure includes the investigative and case management processes as well as the pre- and post-adoption processes. The collective wisdom of all professionals who played a role in making decisions about the physical and emotional wellbeing of Victor and Nubia never coalesced into an effective focus. Nubia Barahona was found dead in a truck parked off of I-95 in Palm Beach County on February 14, 2011 and her brother, Victor, was in critical condition. Both children had been exposed to inhumane treatment and their adoptive parents have been charged with Nubia’s murder and multiple counts of aggravated child abuse and neglect as to both children.
