Yolo County officials said Thursday they won’t release child welfare records regarding the brief life of Justice Rees, the 3-week-old boy whose body was found near a Knights Landing slough last month, until the criminal investigation into his death is complete.
That means those records may not be made public until the end of court proceedings for Justice’s mother, Samantha Lee Green of Woodland, who today faces a possible murder charge in connection with her son’s Feb. 24 death.
The decision follows a nearly two-week review of the records by County Counsel’s Office lawyers as well as the District Attorney’s Office, which because of the pending court case has ultimate authority over whether the documents can be disclosed to the public.
“As we and the community mourn the loss of this child, we are sympathetic to the media and the public’s desire for more information,” Yolo County Counsel Phil Pogledich said in a news release.
“However, child welfare records are confidential under state law and, generally, cannot be released until the completion of a criminal investigation into the circumstances of a child’s death,” Pogledich said. At that point, “we will promptly release all that can be disclosed.”
Green, 23, was due to appear this morning in Yolo Superior Court, where prosecutors have filed a motion to amend the case’s criminal complaint and charge her with an open count of murder.
She previously pleaded not guilty to felony counts of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment. Her attorney, Public Defender Tracie Olson, scheduled today’s court hearing for a change of plea in an attempt to resolve the case.
It will be up to Judge David Rosenberg to determine whether sufficient new evidence exists to allow the murder charge — which requires a finding that Green allegedly killed her newborn with malice aforethought — or if Green can admit to the lesser counts.
The DA’s Office hasn’t publicly disclosed its reasons for seeking the amended complaint. The motion came four days after Yolo County sheriff’s detectives searched the Woodland home where Green had been living with the family of Justice’s father, Frank Rees, reportedly finding methamphetamine and a drug-smoking pipe.
Frank Rees was arrested on drug-related charges as a result of the search but has since posted bail. He also has a history of drug addiction, having undergone a two-year state treatment program in exchange for prison time in a grand theft case.
Rees’ mother, Patty Rees, released a statement last week saying Justice had been born with methamphetamine in his system, and that child-welfare workers developed a “safety plan” with the family before his release from the hospital.
County officials have declined further comment on the records issue, citing a court-imposed gag order on the criminal case that went into effect Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the head of Yolo County’s Employment and Social Services Department — whose child welfare division opened the case file on Justice following his birth — plans to launch a review of the agency’s policies in the wake of the infant’s death.
“The death of any child is tragic,” Joan Planell, the agency’s director, said in the county’s news release. “As such we feel it is prudent to proactively conduct a systems review now to ensure we are continuing to employ the best practices, and to identify any opportunities to strengthen our approach.”
Outside experts in the fields of child welfare training, consultation, research and evaluation will be tapped as part of that review, Planell said.
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene
