The article below is the latest information on Cyrus Belt. As I read through it, I couldn't believe what I was reading. Three out of six investigations on Cyrus' mothers' drug abuse led to her neglecting her children. However, it wasn't enough to take the children away from their mother or to terminate her parental rights over her children. What???? Apparently, here in Hawaii, parents can use drugs and still maintain custody of their children, unless negligence and abuse occur. Excuse me! I would think that any parent that uses drugs is neglecting their children. Will the parent who is abusing drugs be able to competently care for their children? Won't their judgement be affected by the drugs? What are the children doing while the parent is high on drugs? Can the parent be responsible while on drugs? I have a HUGE problem with this! Isn't the parent high on drugs putting their children into "harm's way?" I am disgusted at reading this. Our state needs to seriously re-word their guidelines. Abuse is not only physical and for a state to believe that way is disturbing. There is also emotional, mental, and psychological abuse. A parent on drugs cannot be emotionally supportive of their children, since their own need for drugs is priority, once they are addicted. I just think this whole case is so sad.
Mom wasn't likely to lose custody of Cyrus
"The state would have had a difficult time getting approval from Family Court to permanently remove 23-month-old Cyrus Belt from his mother before he was thrown to his death from a freeway overpass on Jan. 17. While Cyrus' mother, Nancy Chanco, had an alleged history of drug abuse, there was no record that she physically abused the child or put him "in harm's way." In a case that has deeply disturbed the community, questions about Cyrus' supervision on Jan. 17 and in the months leading up to that day have haunted many. Cyrus' death came after at least six separate child welfare investigations into Chanco's handling of Cyrus and his two siblings. Three of the cases resulted in findings that Chanco neglected her children. In June 2006, Chanco was accused of abandoning Cyrus to allegedly use drugs, according to Department of Human Services records. But none of the cases resulted in terminating Chanco's parental rights. Under state guidelines, drug abuse by the parents is usually not enough to remove a child from the parents' care. To remove a child, the parents have to be found to severely abuse and neglect the child. Hawai'i law defines abuse and neglect to mean physical injuries such as substantial bruising, bleeding, malnutrition, broken bones, sexual molestation, failure to provide medical care and other physical dangers. "(We) would have had to show that her (Chanco's) direct actions would have put the child in harm's way," said Lillian Koller, director of the state Department of Human Services. On the day Cyrus died, Chanco said she left the boy with her father, Lilo Asiata. Asiata told police he let a neighbor take the child for a walk, according to court documents and Department of Human Services records. Matthew Higa, who lived in the same apartment complex as Chanco, has been charged with second-degree murder in Cyrus' death. Higa's attorney said yesterday Higa has a long history of mental illness, and Higa's father said he also abused drugs. Koller said the state is now rethinking its approach to parents with a history of substance abuse who neglect their children. "I guarantee that we are and will find ways to prevent other children from being injured or exposed to unreasonable risk or neglect by parents who are testing positive," Koller said. "That is what we are trying to zero in on." "
9 comments on Latest on Cyrus Belt
Add a comment
To add comments without entering your email and image verification, you must be logged in. Login or Join Blogster
This is just awful!! Just awful!!
Jenn
I cannot believe A. that drug abuse is not grounds to remove a child from a home and B. that the grandfather let a "neighbor" take this precious child for a walk. Talk about an invitation to disaster.
OK, so as I understand it , if you do drugs and drive your car gets taken away. But, if you do drugs and neglect your child you can continue doing it everyday because, they dont take your child away. So, a car is apparently more important to this state than a child. Got it.
So a baby has to die for someone to notice. . . "Hey! We need to change things!!" It's common sense that when a person is on drugs, neglect follows. Being a parent is a 24 hour, 7 days a week job. Nancy couldn't fit Cyrus into her life because she was parenting her drug addiction rather than Cyrus. What a loser!!! Did you all see that on KGMB she admitted to using up until the day of his death? When she was doing thqat interview. . . she was tweaking like a a mofo!! Her thoughts were racing and so disorganized. Then in an interview a week following the funeral. She said the last time she had used was when she was pregnant with Cyrus. She said, "That was ONLY for a week though." I spoke to my brother who knows the family. At the funeral, Nancy and her dad never even waited for Cyrus' body to be taken. They left right away. And you better believe that they were sure to take that money box full of "Sympathy cash" with them. So many times when Cyrus was alive she took that baby to my sister-in-laws work so that her co-worker can watch him so she can do her MFing drugs. Get your tubes removed beyotch and stop having babies with these loser druggie men!!