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Tragedy brought needed changes
A Times Editorial
Published March 28, 2005
After years of watching and waiting, we may finally be closer to finding out what really happened to Rilya Wilson, the Miami foster child whose disappearance shook the entire nation and exposed faultlines in Florida's child-welfare system. A Miami grand jury indicted caregiver Geralyn Graham on charges of murder, largely on the basis of statements Graham may have made to another inmate. With no body, forensic evidence or apparent motive on their side, prosecutors face an uphill battle.
If Graham is found guilty - she has pleaded not guilty - the verdict would mean that young Rilya was dead long before her caseworker finally showed up at her door, 16 months late. Such an outcome might offer child-welfare authorities a moment's relief, knowing their tardiness did not thwart a possible kidnap recovery. But it would do nothing to mitigate inexcusable casework errors.
Exposure of those errors in April 2002, when Rilya was first discovered to be missing, led to a number of changes, big and small, at the Department of Children and Families. Today, children in Florida's foster-care system are being monitored more closely. If there's any comfort to be found in the Rilya Wilson tragedy, it is in knowing that it has served to lessen the risks that other foster children may face.
[Last modified March 28, 2005, 01:35:09]
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