Erin Maxwell #148 Jones Case 39

Sentencing Delayed.
This is a news video on the subject of eleven year old Erin Maxwell who lived with her father, stepmother, and stepbrother in Palermo Town, Oswego County, New York State, USA.
Erin was found critically injured in her bedroom on August 29, 2008. She was taken to a hospital where emergency workers worked through the night but were unable to save her. Erin was pronounced dead the next morning.
According to the death certificate prepared by the Medical Examiner, Erin Maxwell died from asphyxia with sexual trauma as a contributing factor. In a section of the certificate which describes how the trauma occurred, it states "Assaulted by another". So to state this as simply as possible, Erin was raped and murdered.
The alleged killer was her stepbrother Alan Jones who was the only person at home with her when the incident occurred. He has been arrested on a charge of second degree murder. Thus far, New York state officials have refused to answer any questions as to why Alan was not also charged with sexual assault.
The Oswego County Department of Social Services (DSS) had investigated the Maxwell family three times in the past in response to complaints. The DSS was also contacted many other times by concerned individuals but refused to investigate. One person who saw the inside of the Maxwell house and was concerned for Erin's safety called the DSS and was told by a worker, "It's none of our business. We can't tell people how to live".
Each of the three times that the DSS did investigate the Maxwell family, the Department determined that Erin was being adequately cared for and living in conditions that were acceptable to the DSS worker.
The conditions inside the house included 125 cats and dozens of other animals including dogs, chickens, geese, a snake, and an iguana. The house also contained animal feces up to eighteen inches deep, piles of rotting garbage up to five feet deep, and twelve dead kittens in the kitchen freezer.
Also, Erin was locked in her room every night and sometimes for days at a time. She was rarely fed and had to steal food from other children at her school and eat out of garbage cans. The DSS worker who investigated called the way the family was living a "lifestyle choice" and stated that there was no justification to remove Erin from that environment.

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News & Politics

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• Erin
• Maxwell
• Murder
• Oswego
• County
• DSS
• CPS
• Child
• Abuse