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CNN Live Today

Florida's Child Welfare Head Resigns

Aired August 14, 2002 - 12:08   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Florida is searching for someone new to head the state's embattled child welfare system. The woman who was in charge has resigned. Her department is under fire for losing track of the very children it is supposed to keep safe.
Our Miami bureau chief John Zarrella joins us with more -- John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF: Carol, that is exactly right, and probably -- it really comes as no surprise to anyone here in the state of Florida that, late yesterday afternoon, Kathleen Kearney, who is the head of Florida's Department of Children and Families sent a letter of resignation to Governor Jeb Bush.

The reason, of course, that it comes as no surprise, is that since April, the agency has been under tremendous fire for literally losing, misplacing, lots of children within the state's system. The first of course, that became news was the case of Rilya Wilson, who, after 15 months, the state agency found out that she was missing, and they did not know she was missing for 15 months. That girl is still missing now.

Shortly after the Rilya Wilson case broke, six girls were found, from ages 11 to 15 found to have been left in a motel in West Palm Beach, and they, too, were under the care of the state agency, the Florida Department of Children and Families.

Following that case, another incident. A 1-year-old toddler in Tampa, his body was found on the side of the road on the same day that a state case worker claimed that she had gone to visit the boy and his family and that everybody was fine.

Following those incidents, of course, the agency continued to circle the wagons even more. More fire for Kathleen Kearney, and then finally over the weekend, what may have been the last straw for the secretary was the Ft. Lauderdale "Sun-Sentinel" newspaper went out, and on its own, in a matter of days found nine of 24 missing children that the state agency had been unable to find. They are among more than 500 children under state custody that the state cannot find.

So now, the state looking for a new head of the Department of Children and Families.

This is John Zarrella, reporting live from Miami -- Carol.

LIN: Thank you very much, John.

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