Child's death prompts state investigation

EUGENE, Ore. -- The head of the Oregon Department of Human Services has enacted a Critical Incident Review Team investigation (or CIRT) which they do when a child "known to DHS" suffers a serious injury or dies, according to Gene Evans with DHS.

Evans wouldn't say whether Jeanette Maples had a DHS caseworker or how DHS knew her. Her grandmother said she called the anonymous child abuse tipline on multiple occasions to report the family to the state.  A CIRT meeting about the Maples case took place Friday afternoon.

Maples died Wednesday. Her parents have been charged with murder in connection with her death.

Lynn McAnulty, Maples' step-grandmother, said she suspected the 15-year-old girl was being abused.  She is upset

"Not one of them responded.  I called anonymously, but still, it should have on took one call for them to go out there," said McAnulty.

Evans said 65,000 calls were made to the tipline last year.  From those tips, DHS determined around 10,000 children were being abused, Evans said.

Not every call is investigated, he said.  A trained staff member asks follow up questions to determine if someone has first hand knowledge of abuse.  Those cases are more likely to be investigated, he said.