Plea for change with DHS after baby's daycare death
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A metro family and their attorneys are calling for change at Oklahoma Human Services after a 2019 daycare incident killed their son.
An attorney for the Farrar family said DHS failed to do their job in the case and believes if they followed correct protocol five-month-old, Liam, would still be here today.
A 9-1-1 call was made in 2019 right before Liam Farrar passed away.
The medical examiner report revealed Liam died from head trauma, caused by abuse.
The owner of "Kelly's Kids" daycare, Kelly Knipfer, and her boyfriend, Ethan Lee pleaded guilty in the infant's death.
According to Tony Coleman, the attorney for Liam's family, the case doesn't stop there.
"DHS had a duty and an obligation here, but for their failure, Liam would still be with us today," said Tony Coleman, an attorney representing the Farrar family.
Coleman said complaints against "Kelly's Kids" were stacking up months before Liam's death and said a DHS worker was even bitten by a dog on the premises.
"During one incident, one of the DHS workers discovered that there was a small child, an infant, that was wrapped in a swaddle, with a pacifier in their mouth, from head to toe and hidden out of view," said Coleman.
Coleman said while DHS began the process of revoking the license for "Kelly's Kids", they didn't warn parents.
"They were supposed to go out to the facility and place in prominent view a loud orange sticker of some sort where everybody could see," said Coleman.
Coleman told News 4, that alert was never delivered to Liam's parents and months later, Liam passed away.
He also said to this day, the family has never received an apology.
"We were really hoping and pushing for a change in law for a greater level of accountability. But it starts from the top down, which is why Shropshire needs to go," said Coleman.
Dr. Deborah Shropshire serves as the Executive Director of Oklahoma Human Services.
Coleman also asked the Attorney General to open an investigation.
We reached out, but they could not comment.
The Department of Human Services sent a statement in regards to the case.
Oklahoma Human Services child care licensing staff are dedicated to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children who are away from their homes attending childcare programs. Oklahoma human services works diligently with our agency partners, the courts, and district attorney to ensure that our childcare facilities are committed to protecting the safety and wellbeing of Oklahoma's children.
In addition to the state and federal laws that impose an obligation of confidentiality in matters such as this, there is currently ongoing litigation, and the department does not comment under such circumstances. Rather, our courts are ideally suited to hear and understand all of the relevant facts and render an appropriate decision.
Department of Human Services