INDIANAPOLIS— A bill that would have forced the state to reveal more about child abuse and neglect deaths failed to advance this legislative session.
Currently, the Indiana Department of Child Services puts out an annual child fatality report, but there’s a significant lag time.
For example, DCS released the 2023 report in January 2025 which revealed 56 children died from abuse and neglect.
House Bill 1152 would have required DCS to disclose whether it received calls to the state hotline before a child’s death.
Braelynn Yerington, a Zionsville foster mom who adopted children out of the state’s child welfare system, testified at a House legislative committee in support of the legislation.
"We can’t improve if we don’t have all the information,” testified Yerington.
She says improving reporting laws could have made a difference in her daughter’s case.
"She sadly laments often that she would be dead had they not removed her when they did,” testified Yerington. “What I had learned is if that had actually happened, neither this body nor the public would have known there were dozens of calls to the hotline by people who were concerned about her that were screened out. And she was left in that home to suffer horrible abuse."
Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus, authored HB1152 which would have required DCS to provide a public summary report within 90 days of completing the report for cases involving a child fatality or near fatality.
The report would also include:
- County where the child died
- Names of arrested perpetrators
- Detailed synopsis of any prior reports of abuse/neglect
"I think the public has the right to know,” said Lauer. “If the state makes mistakes, the people should know. That leads to a clue or protecting a child who is being abused before the fatality happens."
Judah Morgan, 4, was murdered by his birth father Alan Morgan in LaPorte County.
But in the state’s child fatality report, it does not list the location or provide the names of the victim or perpetrator.
The report also contains the following limited information about DCS’s prior involvement in the case.
- Number of previous unsubstantiated assessments for victim: 10
- Number of previous substantiated assessments for victim: 1
Rep. Lauer says DCS’ current approach of a delayed report without identifying information is not enough.
"We need more awareness, better timeliness so that our communities know when these tragedies occur, not a year and a half later,” said Lauer.
Lauer said the information could help inform DCS, lawmakers, child advocates, families and other policy makers.
“This could save lives,” said Lauer.
The Indiana House passed the bill, but it failed to get a hearing in the Senate, which killed the bill.
“These are very complicated issues,” said Lauer. “There is perhaps some trepidation on putting out so much information on these tragic cases."
WRTV Investigates contacted Senate Family and Children Services Committee Chairman Greg Walker and he explained why he didn’t give the bill a hearing.
“I had concerns about the unintended consequences of more in-depth reporting,” said Walker in a phone interview with WRTV. “There’s a risk of identifying what I’ll call the victim partner or the victim spouse. It’s a risk of further public scrutiny, shame and additional trauma.”
Walker said he worked with DCS to enhance its reporting.
WRTV Investigates obtained this internal memo from DCS Director Adam Krupp to staff.
DCS will start including the following information about child deaths in its annual reports:
- data summarizing the number of prosecutions filed and/or pending related to the fatalities
- calls previously screened out regarding the same child, perpetrator, and allegation type
Yerington points out none of the changes involve near-fatalities.
“I receive a disturbing number of calls from across the state reporting these near fatalities to me,” said Yerington. “Most of them never see the light of day unless the press gets a tip and reports it."
WRTV Investigates typically learns about child abuse and neglect cases when a family member contacts us or we discover them in court documents.
However, because not all child abuse and neglect deaths result in criminal charges, WRTV doesn’t learn of every case.
Rep. Lauer plans to file his bill again next session.
“I think the state should be fully transparent,” said Lauer.
WRTV Investigates contacted DCS, and we are still waiting on a response.
PREVIOUS | Kids in Our Care: Pressing for Change
Several other pieces of legislation moved forward this session. The Governor signed the following bills on May 1:
- House Bill 1605 aims to decrease the amount of time children spend in foster care
- House Bill 1412 requires law enforcement to investigate failure to report allegations involving a volunteer or staff member at a school, daycare, gym, hospital or another institution
- House Bill 1273 creates a child welfare task force to study and report on the issues
