At the same news conference, Monroe County’s Human Services Commissioner released some information regarding Child Protective Services involvement in the Brook Stagles case.
Corinda Crossdale says two separate maltreatment reports were filed on Brook Stagles to the New York State Child Abuse Hotline, on October 21st and October 24th last year. As required by law, Crossdale says teams made contact with Brook within 24 hours of each report. She says they had 60 days to complete an initial report on the case, which would have been due on December 20th, 2016. Brook died 25 days after the first report was made.
During those 25 days, Crossdale says CPS made three separate home visits and conducted two direct observations of Brook. They also interviewed Brook’s parents and other members of her family. They reported that Brook was presented as healthy and clean, and was found to be dressed appropriately. They reported she seemed happy and interacting positively with the rest of the household.
Medical practitioners who saw Brook during the CPS investigation didn’t report anything wrong.
Crossdale says testimony at the trial showed Erica Bell went to great lengths to keep doctors from seeing Brook from October 25th until hear death on November 14th. Those doctors would have been obligated to report her condition to CPS.