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Noah Cuatro died at a hospital in 2019, days before his fifth
birthday, after being found motionless at the family's apartment
in Palmdale, north of LA. His parents, Jose Maria Cuatro Jr. and
Ursula Elaine Juarez, later pleaded no contest to murder and
torture charges.
The boy's great-grandmother, Eva Hernandez, sued the county's
Department of Children and Family Services in 2020, alleging the
agency failed to keep Noah safe. Cuatro had been under
department supervision from the time he was born because his
mother had been accused of fracturing his half-sister’s skull.
The Los Angeles Times reported the department had ignored a
court order giving it 10 days to get Noah away from his parents
and seen by a doctor after multiple reports of neglect and
abuse.
The child welfare department said since Noah’s death it has
hired thousands of social workers to decrease caseloads and has
retrained staffers on interviewing techniques and use of
forensic exams.
“It is DCFS’ hope that this resolution gives Noah’s family a
sense of peace,” the department said in a statement. “DCFS
remains committed to learning from the past, improving its work,
and operating with transparency.”
Attorney Brian Claypool, who represented Cuatro’s family in the
lawsuit, told the Times that Noah’s death was a direct result of
the county failing to follow the court order to remove him from
his parents.
County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes
Palmdale, said she hopes the settlement announced Tuesday will
provide “some measure of support” to help Noah's surviving
siblings and other family members heal.
“Noah’s life was not in vain," Barger said in a statement. “His
case has reinforced the need for ongoing review of child welfare
cases, stronger partnerships with our schools, and a stabilized
DCFS workforce to better protect children in the Antelope
Valley.”
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