“They let Takoda down by failing to do their job. I filed suit to make sure this doesn’t happen to another child in Montgomery County. I filed suit to hold Montgomery County Children Services accountable,” Wright said.
A request for comment from an attorney representing the county and insurance carrier in the case was not returned Thursday.
Takoda was a 10-year-old boy who authorities found unresponsive at his Kensington Drive home in December. Takoda later died at Dayton Children’s Hospital.
Three people are charged in connection to the case, including Takoda’s father, Al-Mutahan McLean, his father’s girlfriend Amanda Hinze and the girlfriend’s sister Jennifer Ebert.
Authorities say Takoda was tortured by his father, including being locked naked in an attic, beaten and emotionally and physically abused. In court records, police say Takoda was forced to stand bent over and cross-legged for long periods of time and received a beating by McLean if he stopped. The records say Takoda was made to eat his own feces and was either forced to drink a lot of water or was held underwater prior to his death.
A Dayton Daily News investigation uncovered that police were called to Takoda’s home multiple times before his death. School employees also told the Dayton Daily News that they made multiple calls to Children Services before Takoda was ultimately pulled from school by his father.
During the press conference, Takoda’s grandmother, Kelly Sandoval, said the family loved Takoda. Sandoval previously told the Dayton Daily News that she tried to get custody of the boy but was denied because she was already raising other children in her family.
“Takoda was a funny kid, he loved to play,” Sandoval said. “He loved Halloween, he loved to be around his family. He loved everything about life.”
Wright said along with calling for changes at Children Services, the lawsuit also seeks financial compensation for Takdoa’s family including his grandmother and his brother. The lawsuit doesn’t give an exact amount of money the estate is seeking, but does say it’s more than $25,000.
The attorney told the media that he believes Takoda would be alive today if Children Services had done their job. And while changes are being made at the agency, they still need to be held accountable for Takoda’s death.
“Montgomery County Children Services failed to remove Takoda from a very violent and dangerous situation,” he said.
“What was Montgomery County Children Services doing during this period of time? They absolutely failed Takoda ... Had one person did their job, Takoda would still be alive today. It’s tragic, it’s unacceptable and they must be held accountable,” he said.
The lawsuit was formally filed in court on Friday, according to court records. Wright said it is unclear at this point how long it will be before the lawsuit gets resolved.
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