Branstad: Starved teen's death prompted 'personnel changes' at DHS

The Iowa Department of Human Services has made "personnel changes" in the wake of its investigation into the alleged abuse of a West Des Moines teen who starved to death, Gov. Terry Branstad said in a statement Thursday.

Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds said more information will be released once criminal trials involving Natalie Finn’s parents, Nicole Marie Finn and Joseph Michael Finn II, are underway. But he said Human Services “has consulted with the county attorney on releasing information while criminal charges are pursued.”

Branstad said he and Reynolds were saddened by Finn’s death and “the circumstances surrounding her case."

Asked how many employees might have been fired, a governor's spokesperson responded that "appropriate action" was taken with more than one employee.

What should the public know?

State Sen. Matt McCoy, ranking Democrat on the Legislature’s Oversight Committee from West Des Moines, compared the governor’s statement to a "warm bucket of spit" and called it “completely inadequate."

“If he’s going to tell you that much, he deserves to tell you the rest of the story,” said McCoy, who is leading his caucus’ probe into the case. “What were some of (Human Services’) findings? If you terminate a person for cause, you should release the cause.”

McCoy said he spoke to Human Services Director Charles Palmer Thursday morning, and Palmer agreed to brief him Wednesday about the handling of the case.

He said Palmer indicated that Polk County Attorney John Sarcone is reluctant to release details of Natalie Finn’s death for fear of tainting a jury pool.

But McCoy said that’s not a good reason to keep the public from understanding what happened after a neighbor reported in May to West Des Moines police that Natalie Finn and her siblings were being abused.

Finn suffered cardiac arrest Oct. 24. But authorities did not arrest her parents until this month.

McCoy said the jury of “every high-profile homicide would have to be cloistered” if releasing details was a real issue.

“How is releasing what happened going to impact the seating of a jury? They’ve got more secrecy over this than anything I’ve ever seen," he said. "People are clearly nervous about something.”

Ben Hammes, the governor's spokesman, blasted McCoy's comments.

"Gov. Branstad tried to open up personnel files for just cause or public safety in 2014," Hammes said. "Sen. McCoy led the effort to prevent these files from ever being open to the public. For him to take this position now is either the worst kind of politics or a welcome change from his position in 2014."

Amy McCoy, a spokesperson for DHS, said personnel information is confidential under state law.

“We will not be discussing details of the case publicly until we can be sure it won’t jeopardize the court proceedings in any way," McCoy said. "Our attorneys and the county attorney will assist us in making those determinations. Also, we are in contact with legislators who have oversight of DHS regarding the handling of the case."

McCoy said DHS understands “the public wants details, and they also want justice, so we are being very thoughtful in the release of information to protect the integrity of the prosecution.

“We will share information in a transparent manner and in the best interest of child welfare as soon as we are able. We are deeply saddened by the death of Natalie Finn, and we always work toward having the best policies, procedures and personnel in place to protect children amid challenging and changing family dynamics, behaviors and needs.”

She said child welfare is one of the hardest jobs in state government.

“We strive to keep children safe and help make families stronger,” she said.

RELATED:

• Investigations launched into starved Iowa teen's death
• Editorial: Did DHS do all that it could to help Natalie Finn?
• Watchdog: Starved teen's death likely to trigger scrutiny of changes to Iowa's child welfare law
• Teen, siblings were tortured by parents, court documents say
• Neighbor: Teen saw herself as siblings' protector

Ombudsman intervention requested

McCoy said he has asked the state ombudsman’s office to convene a committee to look at Finn’s death.

Ombudsman Kristie Hirschman said Wednesday her office was reviewing the child-abuse records subpoenaed from Human Services. The state agency has independent authority to investigate complaints about state and local government and in the past has reviewed controversial child deaths.

Hirschman said her office requested the records after Readers' Watchdog reported Dec. 8 that Becca Gordon, a neighbor in West Des Moines, told police that she suspected Finn was a victim of child abuse — five months before the teen suffered cardiac arrest.

Gordon told the Watchdog that Human Services never followed up and called her about that report.

On Nov. 1, the Watchdog requested police reports concerning trips officers made at Gordon's request to the West Des Moines home. Those reports commonly are available across Iowa, but West Des Moines police refused to release them until five weeks later, on Dec. 7.

One report showed Finn tried to run away from home in mid-April. Another showed Gordon, whose son attended Walnut Creek campus with Natalie, called police to say the teen had been asking for food and money, appeared "unkept" and smelled heavily of body odor, and had blisters on her feet and no shoes.

Gordon also reported to police that Finn said "she was locked in her bedroom by her mother because one of the pets urinated on the floor," the report showed.

West Des Moines Officer Matthew Granzow wrote that he and Officer Barry Graham went to the mother's home at 805 15th St. on May 31 and saw someone peering from behind a curtain. No one answered the door, though Granzow said he knocked several times.

Granzow said he called veteran Human Services worker Lauren Templeman. But Gordon told the Register that Human Services never contacted her after she called police.

Need for an independent inquiry?

The incoming chairman of the oversight committee, Sen. Michael Breitbach, R-Strawberry Point, said Thursday he was unaware of the case until recently.

“Of course, I'm appalled that someone would let their child die of starvation in this day and age," he said. "We have so many programs that are designed to prevent this; most people can't understand how this could happen."

But Breitbach said he didn’t think it was necessarily unusual that Gordon didn’t hear back from Human Services after calling police.

“Even though a neighbor that reports an issue would like to hear back about the welfare of a child, because of confidentiality issues I'm sure DHS is not allowed to report to them,” he said.

Breitbach said he wouldn’t know if an independent investigation would be needed until people find out how Human Services followed up on the report and learn what steps were taken.

Finn's parents were charged Dec. 9 with numerous felonies. They shared joint custody of five children when they divorced in 2011 after 12 years of marriage, according to court records.

One of the children, Alexander Kendal Finn, is an adult. Natalie was the next oldest, followed by two 15-year-old brothers and a 14-year-old sister.

Criminal complaints filed in Polk County allege that Nicole Finn killed her daughter "intentionally, willfully, deliberately, with premeditation and malice aforethought."

Both parents are accused of secretly confining Natalie and two of her siblings, a 14-year-old girl and 15-year-old boy, inside their small, brick home.

They are accused of using "unreasonable force, torture or cruelty" to cause serious injury to the three children.

Lee Rood's Reader's Watchdog column helps Iowans get answers and accountability from public officials, the justice system, businesses and nonprofits. Contact her at lrood@dmreg.com, 515-284-8549 on Twitter @leerood or at Facebook.com/readerswatchdog.