Special Report: Is DCFS Compounding A Tragedy? Agency Tells Mother of Murdered Daughter She May Never See Her Grandchildren Again

Editor's note:  The following article fist appeared on the Illinois Family Institute's web site on Sept. 8, 2009.  http://www.illinoisfamily.org/news/contentview.asp?c=34534

 

By Daniel T. Zanoza -Illinois Family Institute 
 

It was one of those phone calls no parent wants to receive. In fact, it was the beginning of a nightmare for Jean Cohoon. Cohoon's daughter, MeLisa Cleary, 30, a mother of three, was missing. It's a story which, tragically, is repeated all too often in America today. A woman's car is found, her purse and cell phone are left behind, but she is nowhere to be found.

 

During the first three days after MeLisa's disappearance, a frantic search for the young mother took place. Family, friends, neighbors, and good people who simply wanted to help began the search for MeLisa. Flyers were printed up, the media reported on the case and search teams were organized to scour the town of Mackinaw in Tazewell County, Illinois in the desperate hunt for clues to MeLisa's disappearance.

 

But on June 10th of 2008, Jean Cohoon's nightmare became reality. Her daughter's lifeless body was found in a rural area near Hartsburg in Logan County. The central Illinois location was not 20 minutes away from her home. MeLisa had been brutally murdered and disposed of like a piece of trash.

 

Little did Jean Cohoon know that the murder of her oldest daughter was only the beginning of a horrible saga which continues until this very day. Of course, Cohoon had to first deal with the loss of a daughter. One of the most horrific things in life is when a parent has to bury one of their children. But Cohoon was denied this right of passage. MeLisa's husband, Daniel Cleary, had MeLisa's body taken to California where she was cremated, a fact which Cohoon's family was not aware of until after the fact.

 

But Cohoon soon had to face yet another reality which only served to compound the pain her family was going through. Although the murder of MeLisa is still under investigation and no arrests have been made, soon after MeLisa's body was discovered, local police named her husband, Daniel Cleary, a "person of interest" in the case.

 

Suddenly, the question surrounding who would take custody of MeLisa Cleary's children came to the forefront. With the father's status as a "person of interest" in the murder, the Dept. of Children and Family Services (DCFS) took temporary custody of the three children. Initially, DCFS awarded custody to one of MeLisa's sisters. However, after four months, DCFS removed all three siblings from their Aunt's home. DCFS then did something extremely unusual. The surviving children were separated and placed with friends of the family. Ultimately, DCFS assumed custody of all three children before assigning them to Lutheran Social Services (LSS).

 

"My youngest daughter, who was only 22, was not prepared to take on such a responsibility," said Cohoon. "She had young children of her own and it was obvious my murdered daughter's kids were emotionally scarred. They needed the kind of care and attention my daughter simply was not able to provide. Yet their placement should have been with the family and I was perfectly willing and able to take on that responsibility with joy in my heart."

 

Little did Cohoon know that DCFS was heading towards a decision that one day would separate these children from their family--possibly forever.

 

Obviously, the case of MeLisa Cleary and the eventual placement of her children is complicated. However, a decision on who these children should be with seems simple. But government bureaucracies do not always do what's simple-- or what's right. According to family therapists, when at all possible, children who experience such trauma should be returned to their families. Indeed, when possible, DCFS' guidelines state as much.

 

"In most cases, return home, a goal of reunification, is identified based on the permanency goal that is established based on procedures," said Jimmie Whitelow, a DCFS spokesman, in an interview with the Illinois Family Institute (IFI).

 

Though rules and procedures must be a guideline for DCFS, the human equation must be remembered. Since DCFS took custody away from Cohoon's daughter, Cohoon has only seen her grandchildren sporadically. In fact, the last time Cohoon saw the children of her murdered daughter was on April 9th of 2009--five months ago. Though Cohoon desperately wants to adopt her grandchildren, the Dept. of Children and Family Services has refused her request. Cohoon told IFI the state agency has led her to believe she will never see her grandchildren again.

 

"In essence, I was told to forget about my grandchildren by a caseworker," Cohoon told IFI. "Quite frankly, I was afraid DCFS had already made a determination regarding the custody of my grandchildren and there may have been the possibility that my oldest grandchild has already been adopted out to another family."

 

After a request by the Illinois Family Institute to look into whether or not a determination had been made by DCFS regarding the status of Cohoon's grandchildren, a spokesman for State Rep. Keith P. Sommer (106th District) told IFI that DCFS has yet to make a decision on the children's placement. Sommer, who represents Cohoon's District in the Illinois General Assembly, is a member of a committee looking in to Adoption Reform. Earlier this year, Cohoon contacted Sommer's office because DCFS would not answer her questions concerning the status of her grandchildren.

 

Cohoon believes her emotional state after the murder of her daughter has played a significant role which has led DCFS to balk when it comes to granting her custody of the children.

 

"I would say I had a nervous breakdown," Cohoon told IFI. "My daughter had been murdered, her killer was still on the loose and DCFS was telling me I would never see the only blood link to my daughter again."

 

Cohoon told the Illinois Family Institute, during the midst of her emotional trauma, she had left messages with DCFS which may have led to the agency believing Cohoon was emotionally unstable.

 

Most experts say the emotional instability of anyone under such stress is understandable. Cohoon said she has gone through extensive counseling since the death of her daughter, and she is willing to do whatever it takes to be given the opportunity to adopt her grandchildren.

 

"I'd be willing to go through any counseling DCFS wants me to," Cohoon told IFI. "My only concern is the best interest of my daughter's children and I believe their best interest is best served if they are with their family."

 

Cohoon has other advocates which have taken her side in this story.

 

"I feel she is totally credible," said a reporter for a local newspaper. "Anyone could understand how an individual who experienced the loss of a daughter and the possible loss of her grandchildren would feel."

 

The fact is no one can understand what Jean Cohoon and her family have gone through, except those who have experienced such tragedies in their lives. The question which begs to be answered is whether DCFS is compounding a tragedy here.

 

The Illinois Family Institute will report on this story, as developments occur.

Donations can be sent to:
MeLisa Cleary Memorial Fund
Eureka Community Bank
205 S. Main St.
Eureka, Il.  61530

 

All proceeds from this fund will solely be used for the benefit of MeLisa Cleary's children.

 

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Comments

[jenne]

Child Protective Services get money for every child they adopt out. Its a moneymaking racket for them..they get no money for reunification. They drop the ball at every turn.. locally they left a child in a home where there was significant abuse and the child died as a result. On the other hand, when I tried to report that my daughter was being abused by her father, a county employee, it was deemed "unsubstantiated" because she seemed "too happy" to have been abused!

[me]

Daniel Cleary has finally been arrested in the murder of MeLisa Cleary!