The Illinois Division of Kids and Household Providers is investigating the mother and father of I’Kera Hill, a toddler affectionately often called “Peanut,” after she died from malnutrition and dehydration at Carbondale Hospital on June 22, 2022, in accordance to Capitol Information Illinois.
The three-year-old died from neglect; DCFS investigated her household 10 occasions earlier than for almost 20 years. In complete, 10 youngsters had been taken away from Hill’s residence, in accordance to CBS Information.
Isaac Hill and Katrina Simelton Hill, each presently in custody on $250,000 bail, face expenses of kid endangerment in Jackson County, Capitol Information Illinois stories.
Official paperwork present that the Hill household had 16 youngsters, together with 11 ladies and 5 boys, and specifies that “DCFS by no means obtained any stories of allegations of abuse or neglect concerning I’Kera,” in response to CBS Information.
The division did go to the house in April of 2003; some stories cite: “Kids 1 and a couple of had been dwelling in an environmentally neglectful setting,” or “Kids 1 by means of 7 as alleged victims of kid maltreatment.”
I’Kera’s sister, Ka’Lisha Hill, died in foster care on Might 19, 2015.
The system flagged her sister as “being in danger for hurt,” nevertheless, DCFS stated, “The Assistant State’s Legal professional declined to file a petition for court-ordered supervision.”
“It’s actually surprising that the remaining youngsters remained on this residence within the final years till I’Kera was killed,” stated Prepare dinner County Public Guardian Charles Golbert.
Capitol Information Illinois reviewed paperwork that confirmed the Hill household was concerned with the Illinois DCFS as early as 2012 when Isaac confronted expenses of aggravated battery of a kid for whipping a younger boy with an extension twine on March 26, 2012.
On June 1, 2012, Isaac pleaded responsible and was sentenced to 2 years of probation. As a part of his sentence, the courts mandated him to attend home violence counseling and parenting courses.
Katrina Hill obtained a courtroom order of safety in opposition to Isaac in Massac County on Might 11, 2012.
However she rescinded the order in August 2012 after being charged with two counts of aggravated firearm discharge, mob motion, and obstructing justice; all counts had been finally thrown out.
Golbert expressed concern about how the actions of the Hill household fell by means of the cracks regardless that they had been beneath investigation in three completely different counties: Alexander, Jackson, and Massac.
He believes investigators didn’t adequately take into account the issues in that residence.
“It makes me involved whether or not the investigators with the latest investigations knew in regards to the all of the investigations going again 19 years over three completely different counties,” Golbert stated.
The Illinois DCFS issued a public response by way of CBS2 concerning I’Kera’s unlucky demise:
The Division of Kids and Household Providers is deeply dedicated to defending weak youngsters and strengthening households, and the lack of any little one is tragic…On this case, the Division labored carefully with numerous stakeholders, together with the state’s lawyer’s workplace. Whereas DCFS had intensive historical past with this household and was concerned within the lives of a lot of their youngsters, there have been no stories or investigations of I-Kera.