Sandra Eastman was searching for love. With a childhood marred by violence, instability, cocaine and abuse, as an adult she wanted a peaceful family life of her own.
Eastman’s mistake, perhaps, was to let that need blind her to the threat her husband posed to her baby girl, Dezirae Sheldon. Dennis Duby, who friends described as an angry, jealous, violent liar, is charged with Dezirae’s murder.
Eastman is not the only person in Dezirae’s life who didn’t see Duby as a threat.
The events that led to the toddler’s death tell not only the story of a broken family, but also of a social services agency that is struggling to protect children of abusive parents.
Social workers at the Department for Children and Families assigned to protect Dezirae ignored warning signs about Duby as they pushed to reunify Dezirae with her mother.
Ever since DCF failed a federal audit in 2007, the department has worked to improve its policies – and its statistics – which track how quickly DCF finds permanent homes for child.