Prosecutor: Opportunities Missed To Save Boy's Life

OMAHA, Neb. -- A Lincoln prosecutor who investigated child deaths said Nebraska Health and Human Services missed opportunities to save an Omaha boy’s life.

Two months ago, Omaha police found Michael Belitz, 12, dead in the bathtub of his home. His mother, Angela Manns, is charged with first-degree murder in the case.

KETV NewsWatch 7 filed a Freedom of Information Act request to compel the state to release two critical incident reports. Those documents showed Manns called HHS twice in the months before the crime. In both cases she didn’t get the help she needed.

Lancaster County Attorney Gary Lacey was appointed by former Gov. Mike Johanns to investigate 30 child deaths in the state. Lacey said the state failed to protect Michael Belitz.

“Yeah, he fell through the cracks. He wouldn’t be dead if he didn’t fall through the cracks,” Lacey said. “There’s no question to me, in this case, something immediate should have happened.”

The incident reports obtained from the state showed Manns left a voicemail message on March 27 requesting that her son be put in foster care. She called again less than a week later.

In both cases, HHS workers returned her calls and Manns was told to call the child abuse hotline. The documents indicate the process stopped there.

In a second critical incident report NewsWatch 7 learned Manns had a history with HHS. The report indicated Manns slapped her daughter in 1999, but police officers found no evidence of abuse.

In February, 2007, the critical incident said somebody reported Manns was drinking and being physically and verbally abusive. HHS said those allegations were unfounded. Later that year, Mann’s oldest daughter became guardian for her 15-year-old sister after mother kicked the girl out of the house.

Monday night, an HHS spokeswoman said the department received a series of e-mails from Michael’s older sister indicating she was worried about his well being. The spokeswoman indicated social workers were limited on what they could do for Michael since he wasn’t a ward of the state.

“It’s a red flag to do something because you’ve got a history, and there’s nothing more reflective of conduct than history,” Lacey said.

Kerry Winterer was recently appointed as the new head of HHS. He said a new department policy will make sure parents are connected with experts. He said that policy that policy will send a social worker or police to the home when they get calls from people like Angela Manns.

“All we’re trying to do is be more proactive,” Winterer said.

Previous Stories:
July 17, 2009: Grim Details Revealed In Belitz Slaying
July 16, 2009: HHS: No Evidence Of Abuse During 2007 Check
July 16, 2009: Mother Charged With Murder In Son's Death
July 13, 2009: UPDATE: Body Found In House, Woman Booked For Murder