Questions remain about what went wrong in the state’s handling of 14-year-old Kyneddi Miller before she was found dead and “in a skeletal state” in her Boone County home.
On Friday, Governor Jim Justice said an ongoing investigation will determine whether West Virginia State Police or Child Protective Services could have better intervened before the child’s death.
The Republican governor acknowledged that there could be “layoffs” as a result, but declined to comment on the details of the investigation.
“There is a good part I am not supposed to tell,” Justice said during his virtual briefing. “I care about getting justice for Kynnedi.”
Police discovered the girl’s emaciated body in April. Mother and two Grandparents have been charged with fElony’s neglect of children led to death. The teenager was Homeschooled.
The West Virginia State Police shared a document And audio and said they made a report about the girl to CPS in March 2023.
The Department of Human Services, which oversees CPS, said that the WVSP transfer was never made and cannot be found in the department records.
While WVSP has not made any public statement on the case, reported State police confirmed that an officer made the CPS referral in person at the Boone County Health Department.
“There is an officer who says he drove … I guess his personal vehicle or whatever … and he drove to the offices and went in and made this report,” Justice said during his virtual briefing. “At the same time, I have no evidence to date that a report has been made.”
“There is nothing that [DoHS] to go to the house,” he added.
Justice also admitted that he had had discussions with the Ministry of Health about their incomplete database system, known as WV PATH. The system was meant to enable staff to “track and view data more effectively” and improve child protection outcomes.
Lawmakers said during the legislative session that the Department of Health was delaying implementation of PATH despite a 2017 Contract for this. The agency issued $73 million for the project starting in 2023, when it is expected to be completed.
“There will be real improvements, but Kynnedi can’t help it,” Justice said. “We are absolutely going to make improvements and fix deficiencies.”
The Ministry of Health provided narrow and then contradictory information about the case, after which the Ministry of Justice go back his comment that CPS knew nothing about Kynnedi before her death.
Cynthia Persily, DoHS Secretary, said in a May 21 statement that the DoHS was not “involved in the child’s life,” and then went on to say that previous CPS cases in 2009 and 2017 at the same home “[had] nothing to do with the death of this young lady.”
Neighbors also said they called child welfare services before Kynnedi’s death.
As the Ministry of Health blocked Information about the case, Justice praised his government’s transparency and encouraged reporters to “You can contact anyone and ask them any questions you want, because that’s how it should be.”
He told reporters: “There is no point in asking me every 15 minutes because I do not get these reports every 15 minutes. We will continue to investigate and investigate by all means.”
Justice also encourages individuals who suspect child abuse or neglect to call the Centralized Intake for Abuse Neglect Hotline at 1-800-352-6513.
