Photos: These children died after unheeded warnings. Is Louisiana failing its most vulnerable?
From the Suffering So Young series
The Department of Child and Family Services is in crisis. The consequences are deadly.
Read the story here: These children died after unheeded warnings. Is Louisiana failing its most vulnerable?
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A memorial for 2-year-old Ezekiel Harry surrounds a trashcan on Daspit Street in Houma on Friday, July 15, 2022. Ezekiel died due to blunt force trauma to the head earlier in the week. His remains were found in a trashcan. (Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
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Candles line the steps at the Courthouse Square in Houma as people gather for a vigil for 2-year-old Ezekiel Harry on Friday, July 15, 2022. Ezekiel died due to blunt force trauma to the head earlier in the week. His remains were found in a trashcan on Daspit Street in Houma. (Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
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A Spider-Man figure is seen on top of Ezekiel Harry's casket as loved ones mourn the loss of the 2-year-old in Thibodaux on Saturday, July 23, 2022. An estimated 300 bikers escorted Harry to his final resting place. (Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
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The gravesite for Mitchell Robinson III, 2, is seen in the area pictured at the Southern Memorial Gardens in Baton Rouge on Thursday, August 18, 2022. Robinson died of a fentanyl overdose after state child welfare officials failed to respond to reports about him; his mother was booked with negligent homicide. (Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
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Zaia Bell holds a tribute to Ezekiel Harry during a vigil for the 2-year-old in Houma on Friday, July 15, 2022. Ezekiel died due to blunt force trauma to the head earlier in the week, and his remains were found in a trashcan on Daspit Street in Houma. (Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
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Family and loved ones say good-bye to Ezekiel Harry, 2, in Thibodaux on Saturday, July 23, 2022. (Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
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The casket of 2-year-old Ezekiel Harry is placed into the back of a hearse as people gathered for the child's funeral in Thibodaux on Saturday, July 23, 2022. (Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
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Stacey McPherson is seen at her home in Deville on Thursday, August 18, 2022. McPherson is a former foster care worker who recently resigned from her job with the Department of Children and Family Services. (Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
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Ezekiel's grandmother, Cynthia Harry, far right, is comforted during a vigil for the 2-year-old in Houma on Friday, July 15, 2022. Ezekiel died due to blunt force trauma to the head earlier in the week. His remains were found in a trashcan on Daspit Street in Houma. (Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
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People gather for a candlelight vigil for Ezekiel Harry in Houma on Friday, July 15, 2022. Ezekiel died due to blunt force trauma to the head earlier in the week, and his remains were found in a trashcan on Daspit Street in Houma. (Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
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Candles are lit as people gather for a candlelight vigil for Ezekiel Harry in Houma on Friday, July 15, 2022. Ezekiel died due to blunt force trauma to the head earlier in the week, and his remains were found in a trashcan on Daspit Street in Houma. (Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
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Frank Ewell holds candles during prayer as people gather for a candlelight vigil for Ezekiel Harry in Houma on Friday, July 15, 2022. Ezekiel died due to blunt force trauma to the head earlier in the week, and his remains were found in a trashcan on Daspit Street in Houma. (Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
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People pray during a candlelight vigil for Ezekiel Harry in Houma on Friday, July 15, 2022. Ezekiel died due to blunt force trauma to the head earlier in the week, and his remains were found in a trashcan on Daspit Street in Houma. (Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
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People gather for the funeral of 2-year-old Ezekiel Harry in Thibodaux on Saturday, July 23, 2022. An estimated 300 bikers escorted Harry to his final resting place. (Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
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A memorial for 2-year-old Ezekiel Harry surrounds a trashcan on Daspit Street in Houma on Friday, July 15, 2022. Ezekiel died due to blunt force trauma to the head earlier in the week, and his remains were found in a trashcan. (Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
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Suffering So Young: A child welfare system in crisis