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Child Advocate report concludes DCF failed to protect Lynn baby

LYNN, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) – The Office of the Child Advocate issued a report Friday stating that the Department of Children and Families did not recognize that a Lynn baby and his twin were in a dangerous living situation were mistreatment was possible because their mother and her boyfriend were substance abusers.

Chase Gideika was allegedly murdered by Anthony Gideika, when Chase was only three months old. The murder happened last July and Anthony has since pleaded not guilty. He is currently waiting for a trial. Chase’s twin brother was not injured, and taken into DCF custody after Chase’s death. An older sibling was taken from the couple in 2012.

Chase and his twin were exposed to substances before birth and sent home even though there was a risk for mistreatment, the report said. When DCF was working with Chase and his family, DCF found “concerning information and failed to translate this information into interventions that protected the infants from harm,” the report said.

DCF released the following statement Friday: "We are grateful for the Child Advocate's thoughtful review and recommendations. The tragic outcome in this case is deeply saddening and we are using the lessons learned to implement changes to strengthen our child welfare safety-net. Last year the Department launched a full review of families with children ages five and under with high risk factors, such as substance abuse, domestic violence and young parents. DCF used this information to enhance our practices. The Department is aggressively adding new staff to reduce caseloads and strengthening our training and reporting around substance exposed newborns as part of these comprehensive efforts."