Haslam: Child Deaths Not Mishandled

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam says no immediate evidence of wrongdoing by the Department of Children’s Services has been found in the deaths of 31 children. He calls the deaths, which included ten infants with open case files, distressing. Haslam reviewed the reports and says the D-C-S took appropriate action in the cases.

The agency’s lawyer says the department has been violating a state law requiring it to report the deaths of children under investigation to lawmakers. The Department of Children’s Services released the number of child deaths last week after repeated requests from State Representative Sherry Jones.