DAYTON — As the investigation into the death of a 7-year-old boy in Dayton continues, more questions arise about who should have looked into people’s concerns about his welfare prior to his death.
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The News Center 7 I-Team’s lead investigator, John Bedell, spoke with four lawyers who deal with child welfare cases. As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, they all said that any concerns people voice to Children Services about allegations of potential neglect and abuse should first be handled by the Children Services agency in the county where the child lives.
The I-Team is working to figure out if that happened in the case of Hershall Creachbaum, whose body was found less than a mile from his mother’s home on Xenia Avenue on July 12.
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Ohio law also says the lead Children Services agency for any investigation should be determined by the agency located “in the county in which the alleged child victim or child subject of the report has a residence or legal settlement.”
Creachbaum’s family and a parent volunteer at Ruskin Elementary, where he attended school, said several people called Montgomery County Children Services about his welfare before his death. The I-Team has been working to learn what Montgomery County Children Services did with those reports.
Another key fact is that records from Clark County Probate Court uncovered by the I-Team show the boy’s paternal grandmother had guardianship of him in Clark County until mid-May. His grandmother, Missy Creachbaum, told the I-Team she was badly injured in a crash in November, and he started living with his mom, Ashley Johnson, in Dayton after that.
Clark County Children Services told News Center 7 that they could not confirm or deny if they had a case involving the family.
The agency did say that since Creachbaum’s death investigation started on Saturday, they’ve had contact with law enforcement in Montgomery County.
The I-Team has reached out to Montgomery County Children Services every day this week. The agency say they’re working on a response that we have not received at the time of this report.
The I-Team also reached out to the Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY), which handles state oversight of Children Services agencies. A spokesperson said, “DCY is aware of this situation and is gathering information to learn more. As we do, we will be working closely with the local public Children Services agencies.”
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