A state child protection worker interviewed Carulus Hines, her two children and the children's teachers a year ago after a report that the family was in financial straits, but nothing then suggested that Hines was deranged or dangerous, according to documents obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Thursday.
The next call to the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services came after Hines, 40, stabbed her 4-year-old daughter to death Monday after attempting to choke her 8-year-old son. Although neighbors had heard Hines say she was possessed by devils, and although she had threatened family members, including an adult brother who lived in the home, with a knife Sunday night, no one raised an alarm.
The brother, James Calvin Farmer, did not return a phone call seeking comment Thursday.
According to the documents released by DFCS, he told investigators he did not call authorities because he believed his sister's bizarre behavior "would pass."
DFCS spokeswoman Ravae Graham said the case is a reminder of why people must report concerns of abuse to authorities.
"If you do see signs of abuse ... or signs of unexplained behavior, report it," she said. "The only way we can look into those issues is if someone reports it."
DFCS officials were first alerted to the family, which moved to Atlanta from the Maryland area, in September 2010. At the time, Hines and the children were living in a rental home without electricity. The heavily redacted documents suggest that at least one other adult was living with them, but whom is unclear.
The investigation began Sept. 29, 2010, and was closed about three weeks later, on Oct. 19. The family was referred to Lutheran Services of Georgia.
Teachers interviewed by child welfare workers said Hines was struggling financially but appeared to be doing her best to provide for the children. They did not report any concerns for the children's health or safety. One said that the boy had once had poor hygiene, but that it had improved.
Case managers observed the children to be healthy, clean and dressed appropriately. At the time that the case was closed, electricity had been restored to the family's home.
Graham said the department found no reason to believe the children were in physical danger. "At no point during that investigation did we find any indications of abuse or maltreatment," she said.
The documents do not indicate that Hines displayed any signs of mental illness, but so much information is blacked out that it is impossible to determine to what extent, if at all, that issue was explored.
Child advocate Normer Adams said, based on what he knows from news reports, it seems DFCS officials followed protocol in their handling of the case.
"We know children do better if they can stay with their biological parents, even in deplorable situations like no electricity or running water," said Adams, executive director for the Georgia Association of Homes and Services for Children. "What we’ve learned is that when you provide family support for these types of families, kids do better and are actually safer."
However, Adams said, there's no way to make sure that children will always be safe.
"The problem is that ... child welfare is more of an art than a science, so when you go into situations like this, you aren’t always presented with all of the information you need," he said. "Is there mental illness involved? Are they threatening the kids? Sometimes DFCS can do all they can do and it's not enough to keep kids safe."
Hines had no prior history with police in Georgia. She did have a criminal record in Baltimore for drug possession, where a longtime friend, Bryan Jones, said she struggled with heroin addiction. Hines' husband, Terry, is incarcerated in Maryland.
However, in the past few weeks or months she appeared more and more troubled, neighbors and acquaintances said. She spoke of being possessed by devils and told one neighbor she would kill the children before she let the state take them away. It is not clear why she would have feared state intervention, given that DFCS records show no contact with the family after October 2010.
The financial pressures on her had also mounted, as the landlord demanded the rent, which was five months past due.
On Sunday, Hines apparently snapped, calling friends to tell them they could multiply their money by placing it on a certain passage in the Bible. That night, she chased family members with a butcher knife, according to Farmer's statement to investigators.
Monday, when Farmer made the call to summon police, he told the 911 operator that Hines was claiming to be God, able to bring the children back after killing them. She had attempted to choke the boy then thrown him out the window. Then she had then locked herself inside with her daughter, who had Down syndrome.
After police burst in and shot Hines to death, they found that she had bound the girl's face "from eyebrows to neck" with tape. The child died of asphyxiation as well as multiple stab wounds, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner's report.
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