Article 19 Parents OK'd by DCF had cloudy past

The state-approved foster parents for a toddler who went missing had twice been accused of child abuse, a state report says. Before 2 year-old courtney Clark went missing from foster care for four months and before she was found in a wisconsinhome with an 11-year-old torture victim and a woman's body buried in the backyard. Documents released Tuesday by the head of the stat's chld welfare agency suggest the Martels had dubious qulifications to be foster parents. DCF found some indicators that a child i n the Martell home in Sorrento had been sexually abused. reports from the florida department of Law Enforcement say Cynthis Martell had been arrested three times between 1985-2003 on charges including larceny, shoplifting and grand theft. It is unconscionable that human failures throughout the system allowed Courtney Clark to be missing for four months without being reported. Fortunately, courtney is alive and well. RECORDS QUESTION FOSTER PARENTS FITNESS, AS WELL AS DCF. A series of rforms will be taking place. Among them are the appointment of child location specialist, a new director of criminal justice services. This is an effort to help prevent failures in the future.