DCS removed infant from home where 3-year-old died

The more things change – or not – the more they stay, tragically, the same old same old.

A 3-year-old Surprise girl died this weekend, apparently having been beaten repeatedly, molested and starved, police say.

Alexandra Tercerro was dead by the time paramedics could get her to the hospital. She weighed 15 pounds.

15.

Her parents, Carlos Cruz, 28, and Rosemary Velazco, 36, were arrested on suspicion of felony child abuse.

And worst part of this horror story? The child died while the Department of Child Safety was watching. Or was supposed to be watching, anyway.

DCS Director Greg McKay said the agency removed an infant from the home last June, but had no idea that Alexandra or her older brother were living there. This, even though the agency removed Alexandra and her brother from the home in 2011 and returned them in 2012.

"We are trying to see what our department did during the dependency of this other child and if at any time we were aware of anything involving Alexandra," McKay told me. "At this point in time, there no indication from what we've read that anyone ever saw Alexandra in this home."

Police were summoned to the home late Saturday afternoon after Alexandra's uncle reported that his niece was unconscious. Among her injuries: a gash to her forehead that exposed her skull. Alexandra also showed signs of "extreme malnourishment" (see: Za'Naya Flores) and had injuries "in various stages of healing" all over her body (see: just about every other child who died while DCS's predecessor, CPS, was supposed to be watching).

Velazco told police that her husband has "an anger problem" and that both of them would whip the child with a belt.

The refrigerator had little food but plenty of beer, police reported.

The door to the bedroom, which was shared by the entire family, had a padlock that locked from the outside and a key that was out of reach of children. The room also had "a small paint can which appears to have been used as a toilet by the children."

DCS reports that Alexandra and her older brother were put into foster care in May 2011, after Alexandra was born addicted to methamphetamine. The children were returned 10 months later, and the case was closed in July 2012.

Fast forward to June 2014, when DCS removed another infant from the home, believing the child to be in danger. McKay says DCS was told the other children were living outside the country.

That, of course, prompts a number of questions.

Was DCS paying attention? It would seem pretty hard to miss two kids, if you're making regular monthly contact with the parents. McKay says the children weren't there at the time his staff was present in the home.

Which makes me wonder. Were those DCS visits scheduled or unscheduled?

McKay says it's too soon to know whether DCS could have done anything to save Alexandra.

"We are going to find out if there's something that we shoud have done, could have done to change the outcome."

Alexandra, by the way, would have turned 4 on Saturday.