Illinois investigated starved 6-year-old boy's home in 2016
JERSEYVILLE, Ill. (AP) - Illinois child welfare officials say they received a hotline call about a 6-year-old Jerseyville boy's home nearly two years before he was found starved to death.
The St. Louis Post Dispatch reports that Illinois Department of Children and Family Services officials say the January 2016 hotline call "alleged inadequate food in the home" and the agency launched an investigation. DCFS spokeswoman Alissandra Calderon says a pediatric specialist found the now-deceased child's weight was a result of a medical condition and "the investigation was closed as unfounded."
The boy's father and stepmother, Michael and Georgena Roberts, were charged with first-degree after the boy died last week weighing 17 pounds.
Jersey County State's Attorney Benjamin Goetten said authorities didn't believe the dead child's malnourishment was the result of a medical condition.
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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com