The second part of the tragedy of Jalen Blake starts at Riley Hospital in Indianapolis, where doctors are assessing the injuries Blake had sustained, now known to be done by his mother, Vadney Blake.

The injuries, sustained on June 26, could possibly have been prevented if the state Department of Child Services had removed Jalen from Vadney’s care after a positive drug test on June 6. Vadney had also failed a voice stress analysis.

A case manager from Child Protective Services in Daviess County and his supervisor did not tell their superiors of the positive test, found in a Times-Herald investigation. The Indianapolis Star also ran a similar investigation.

Case Manager John Potts resigned soon after the investigation, but his superiors, Leslie Heshelman and Melinda Berry, were also found culpable according to the DCS files.

The suspicion

At 7:14 p.m. on June 27, Jalen was at Riley where doctors immediately worked to save his life. By 11:05 p.m., the family had arrived at Riley. Jalen was in the intensive care unit, under a ventilator. Potts instructed the nurses at Riley that Jalen was not allowed to be left alone with the family. While the family was in Indianapolis, a search warrant was being obtained for John and Glenda Blake’s Cannelburg home. Nothing was found by crime scene technicians.

A brain scan determined that Jalen was brain dead.

The Dubois County affidavit showed that Vadney had been sending text messages to lover Jeff Truelove while Jalen was in the hospital. Both Truelove and Vadney smoked meth in Jalen’s presence, according to court documents.

“they just told me that (Jalen) had a stroke (sic),” Vadney wrote.

Later, she asked Truelove “did u do any thang around him because they r trying to say its meth.”

Truelove said no. At 11:12 p.m., Vadney wrote “(Jalen) is with god.”

“Wat?” Truelove wrote

“they do think it me they think it the person I was with I don’t no how to (tell) them (who) I was with,” Vadney wrote.

“Call me,” Truelove wrote back.

Justin Blake, Jalen’s incarcerated father, was transported from jail by Daviess County Det. Gary Allison to the hospital. By mutual decision, the parents decided to stop life support. At 9:30 a.m. on June 28, Jalen Blake died.

But suspicions against Blake and Truelove did not end. An autopsy was performed by the Marion County Coroner’s Office two days later. Allison was with the pathologist who found the child’s brain injuries were those similar to injuries in a traffic accident. The official cause of death was a subdural hemorrhage due to blunt impact to the head.

Interviews with Vadney started on July 14 and 15. While interviewers were talking place with Vadney and other family members, Daviess County probation sent a letter to Dubois County, telling them they should check on Truelove based on the evidence collected so far.

In the evening of July 14, state police had started to look for Truelove in Jasper. He took off, going on U.S. 231 north, toward Martin County. He pulled into Truelove Cemetery, where family members are buried, and shot and killed himself.

Vadney was charged in Daviess County on July 15, with neglect and conspiracy to manufacture meth. It wasn’t until early in 2009 that Dubois County charged Vadney with battery resulting in death and neglect of a dependent resulting in death, both Class A felonies. She is scheduled for trial in Dubois County on Oct. 19.

The aftermath

Potts resigned soon after Vadney’s arrest. In the file and in the DCS report, much of the blame lay with Potts’ nondisclosure of Jalen’s failed drug test. Potts was hired in 2006.

DCS Spokesperson Ann Houseworth said Potts was asked why he withheld information but did not elaborate.

Potts would not comment for this story.

Heshelman, Potts' supervisor, was demoted to a caseworker soon after. Houseworth would not comment on why Heshelman was demoted calling it a “personnel matter.”

Neither Heshelman, nor her director, Berry, would comment on this story. When the Times-Herald tried to leave a message, they were instructed to call the state office.

The large file of documents about Jalen’s final month of his life was obtained two weeks ago, through separate public records requests from both the Times-Herald and The Indianapolis Star.

Before the file was released to the media, the files went to the state Child Fatality Review Board for a ruling. Per state law, if the child died because of abuse, the file can be released after redaction by the court. On April 1, the Marion County Juvenile Court was given the file. Although the law states that the file has 30 days to be redacted, it took two months for the more than 700 pages to be redacted. Medical records were not released, but both newspapers received more than 200 pages of DCS files.

The reaction of Jalen’s failed test and what CPS did not do has left family members wondering why. Justin Blake, who is on work release in Daviess County, has met with attorneys and is preparing to file suit against the state.

“I’ve made mistakes in the past and I’ve paid for them,” Blake said. “They’ve (CPS) obviously done something wrong and they should too.

“It ain’t about money. It’s about accountability. I don’t care if I get anything, I just want them to be accountable. That was my son’s life and there’s no telling what he could have been.”

John Blake, Jalen’s grandfather, also feels a further investigation is warranted.

“They broke the law,” John said. “Grandparents have no rights. To me, they broke the law.”

As for criminal charges, Allison said DCS was not investigated by the sheriff’s department.

“They are a state agency,” Allison said. “(Our office) wouldn’t investigate a state agency.”

Houseworth said most agents are immune from criminal prosecution when acting within the scope of their duties outlined by policy and the law.

Houseworth said there is a county Child Protection Team that consists of Berry, two designees given by the juvenile court judge, the prosecutor or a designee and the sheriff or a designee. Houseworth could not say from the files who was on the team when Jalen died. Daviess County Probation officer Bonita Mattingly was one of the fatality assessment workers in the investigation.

Houseworth said the investigation was thorough and the internal assessment was completed.

“The death of Jalen Blake is a tragedy, and the lessons of his loss are ones we most certainly won’t forget,” Houseworth said. “It is important to remember the department cannot protect the children of the community and state alone. We must continue to work with parents, extended family, friends, faith-based organizations and others to ensure the children of Indiana have safe, nurturing and stable homes.”

There are some who feel that DCS should have an independent ombudsman to protect children from falling through the cracks. The Indianapolis Star has noted 11 children, including Jalen, in closed or active DCS cases have died since November 2007.

An ombudsman provision for DCS is included in the Democrat version of the state budget. During the regular session earlier this year, it passed in the House and the Senate Judiciary Committee. Houseworth said the DCS supports the creation of the position.

The way the case was handled, according to Elaine Slicker of Evansville-based child advocacy group Break the Silence, is similar to the fate that befell Kalab Lay. Lay, then 3, was beaten to death by his parents after Illinois child welfare officials reunited him with them. Indiana DCS opposed the reunification but did not monitor the visits.

“I just can’t believe DCS continues to let these kids fall through the cracks like that,” Slicker said. “Someone has to monitor DCS and make sure they are doing their job. So many mistakes were made in this case.

“Can you imagine the pain Jalen went through?”