[8mmMauser]

The heat is on following Haleigh Poutre's case. So at least that much can be credited to looking into other cases. What I would like to see is more focus on why the DSS tried to croak Haleigh, rather than how their mob was managed.

This showed up this morning in our Maine rag.

BOSTON (AP) - The Department of Social Services commissioner on Thursday defended how his agency handled the case of a 4-year-old girl who died of a prescription drug overdose, saying the child "didn't fall through the cracks."

Rebecca Riley was found dead at her Hull home Dec. 13. Her parents, Michael Riley, 34, and Carolyn Riley, 32, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to a charge of first-degree murder.

"The department completed its inquiry ... did not drop that inquiry, but completed that inquiry with assurances from medical experts that the care was appropriate and sufficient," Spence said. "This child didn't fall through the cracks."

Mass. social services agency under fire

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[8mmMauser]

More on poor Rebecca Riley...

"Our interpretation of their explanation was that there was a reluctance to engage in second-guessing of fellow professionals," Spence told the Globe.

Their refusals underscore the difficulty DSS generally faces trying to find physicians willing to provide an independent medical opinion, Spence said.

The agency had been working to establish a panel of medical specialists following the controversy over Haleigh Poutre, now 12, who was beaten into a coma in 2005 and from whom DSS almost prematurely withdrew life support.

DSS seeking medical experts... Spence defends how agency handled girl, 4

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[T'wit]

>> He said DSS on Dec. 12 decided to schedule a surprise visit to the family's home, but Rebecca died the next day before the visit could take place.

These bureaucrats sound like they're in kindergarten. "Oh, I know, let's sneak up on the house!"

[T'wit]

>> Spence said the agency again investigated in October. He said the family came in for a visit to DSS and appeared safe and that the agency tried to make a subsequent home visit in late November, but Carolyn Riley "resisted and evaded."

Something smells rotten here. Why did they investigate "again" in October? What is this "appeared safe" stuff? Why did they come back yet again, and if it was that urgent, why in the heck did they give up when Mrs. Riley "resisted and evaded"?