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Report: Child Welfare System Failed To Protect Baby

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By SHERRI ACKERMAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 27, 2009

TAMPA - A day after a Port Richey father was charged with murdering his baby, a state review found child welfare authorities failed to protect the little girl.

Thomas James Ludwig, 24, got custody of his newborn twins in October after his girlfriend gave birth while jailed in Marion County.

State and local officials agreed to give him custody, but no one checked whether he could properly care for them, said Nick Cox, a regional director for the Florida Department of Children & Families.

Caseworkers also failed to follow up to ensure the young man had access to services such as parenting classes, Cox said.

"It's not as much a systemic issue," he said late Tuesday, minutes after releasing DCF's review. "It's failures."

On Dec. 20, Ludwig, of 9845 Richwood Lane, and his roommate left the babies in a back room while they checked out a nearby house fire. When they returned 10 minutes, Ludwig found Diella lying motionless on a pillow on the floor.

She died the next day at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa.

Witnesses told detectives Ludwig grew frustrated by Diella's cries and at some point became forceful with her. An autopsy found she had skull fractures and hemorrhaging. Medical officials ruled the injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome, Cox said.

A Hillsborough County medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, prompting Ludwig's arrest on a first-degree murder charge Monday night. The surviving twin is with a relative, Cox said.

DCF completed its review of the case Jan. 15. Late today, Cox released the report faulting his staff and private child welfare agencies. Workers should have done a better job planning for the babies' care, he said. They also should have assessed the father's living conditions and skills, and met with him frequently.

A caseworker in Pasco County gave Ludwig referrals for day care and, later, parenting classes, but no one knew the classes were full, Cox said.

Five days later, Diella was dead.

Reporter Lisa A. Davis contributed to this report. Reporter Sherri Ackerman can be reached at (813) 259-7144.

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