Louisiana’s governor called the Department of Children and Family Services’ handling of one its cases an absolute failure after a one-year-old boy died of a fentanyl overdose earlier in November.
Governor John Bel Edwards spoke about the case for the first time yesterday.
DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters said a series of staffing changes led to lax oversight of the child’s case.
The baby is the second to die because of missed or mishandled warning signs since the summer. A toddler died of an overdose in August after previous reports of drug exposure fell through the cracks at DCFS. Walters said that the August case had also been botched because of staffing changes.
Walters has recently responded to questions about her future with DCFS by stating she serves at the pleasure of the governor. It is not clear if the two have spoken since the latest child’s death.
