DHS changes after death of Baby Glenn

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) - Glenn Ross Jr. should have been turning 1 on Friday. Instead, his family is left with questions following his death less than two weeks after he was born.

His father, Glenn Ross Sr., is in prison for at least 25 years for shaking him to death in a Kalamazoo home.

But the case led to changes at the Department of Human Services.

The caseworker assigned to baby Glenn's case is no longer working for the state -- in part as a result of the boy's death -- but it is unclear if the worker was fired or agreed to leave.

The spokesman for the state DHS said the worker met with the Ross family at the hospital the day after Glenn was born.

"I think that the hospital called because they weren't prepared, they didn't have the things they needed, out of genuine concern," said Cyndi Moore, the baby's aunt.

Moore said the caseworker also visited the family's home.

"Everything was good to go and they sent them home," she said. "There was no reason for any of us to think that something like this would occur."

But the DHS spokesman said the caseworker "failed to recognize the potential of the threatened harm" to the newborn. The caseworker should have seen enough to take action, the spokesman said, possibly even petitioning a judge to remove the baby from his parents.

It is not clear exactly what those circumstances were.

But the baby's father had been diagnosed as bipolar and ADHD and his family has said he couldn't cope with caring for a child.

Despite the findings, Aunt Cyndi said she blames only Glenn Sr. and not Child Protective Services -- although she is angry CPS tried to pin the blame on the mother.

"They told my sister that she should have known better than to leave baby Glenn with his dad," she said. "My response to CPS was, 'If she should have known better then you guys should have known better.'"

Among the changes instituted because of this case: Kalamazoo County caseworkers will be required to consult with a supervisor within 72 hours of receiving a complaint alleging potential threatened harm to newborns.

The case could also lead to more training for the county's caseworkers in similar cases.

For Cyndi Moore, though, the family thinks about baby Glenn and his tragic end after only 13 days of life.

"It's something that we deal with every single day. It's obviously not something we want to forget. I mean, the tragedy part of it, yes, we want to forget. But he needs to be remembered forever. His life was cut short."