Placed with Dangerous Caregivers

Six-year-old Justis Burland is another victim of the CPS system. The young boy, placed in the home of Bobbie Bishop and Walter Wynhoff in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, died April 9, 2018 after being abused by the couple. The two have been charged with murder, jailed, and held on a million dollar bail.

But this wasn't the first time Justis had lived with Bobbie Bishop. She had obtained prior custody of the boy and his brother in the state of Washington. CPS had determined things were not right, so the children were removed from her care.

But once she relocated to the state of Minnesota, CPS handed Justis back over to Bobbie. The reason?

CPS has no national database to access files on caregivers who have had children taken away.

Currently, they only access statewide files. As outrageous as this sounds, this is why the aunt of Justis Burland is petitioning CPS to create a national database for accessing caregiver files.

This needs to be changed to prevent more kids from being murdered and abused. CPS could have prevented this murder but information was not properly relayed from state to state. Sadly, because CPS lacks the tools to protect children (in this case a national database), this boy paid the price.

At this time, all an abuser has to do that has had kids removed from their care by CPS is to move to a new state.

(Source: Minnesota Dept. Human Services)

Demand Reform in Child Protective Services

Why is CPS still in the Dark Ages? If these agencies are truly committed to protecting children, why don't they already have a national database for accessing caregiver files?

Sign the petition for a nation wide database for child protection services here.