Caseloads for Delaware child-abuse investigators are double the legal limit

The number of complaints about child abuse and neglect in Delaware has more than doubled in the last decade. Yet the number of social workers to investigate those allegations hasn’t kept pace — and is substantially below the number set by Delaware law.

To alleviate the pressures on those investigators and better protect children, the Division of Family Services is trying to put more workers on the front lines.

More >> Caseloads for Delaware child-abuse investigators are double the legal limit

Delaware mom, 45, 'shot-dead her 18-month-old baby then turned the gun on herself' just hours before she was set to appear in family court and surrender the child to his father

A woman and her one-year-old son were found dead in their Delaware apartment in a suspected murder-suicide just hours before she was due to surrender her child to his father.

Laura B. Connell, 45, was found dead in her apartment alongside her son, Walton Connell, on Wednesday morning having both suffered fatal gunshot wounds.

More >> Delaware mom, 45, 'shot-dead her 18-month-old baby then turned the gun on herself' just hours before she was set to appear in family court and surrender the child to his father

Mother wanted for refusing to turn child over to the Division of Family Services

Delaware State Police are looking for a 4-year-old girl and have issued an arrest warrant for her biological mother.

Troopers said 37-year-old Andrea Brickhouse failed to relinquish custody of her little girl to the Division of Family Services per a court order dated October 16, 2018. 

More >> Mother wanted for refusing to turn child over to the Division of Family Services

Delaware mom wanted for not turning over custody of girl, 4

Authorities looking for a 4-year-old Delaware girl have issued an arrest warrant for her mother.

WDEL-FM cites a Delaware State Police release that says a family court issued an order granting custody of Aliyah Fassett to the Division of Family Services on Oct. 16. Police say her mother, 37-year-old Andrea Brickhouse, refused to comply with requests to meet with caseworkers and turn over custody.

More >> Delaware mom wanted for not turning over custody of girl, 4

Report about social worker impersonator was a hoax

On Friday, Smyrna police received a report about a man allegedly impersonating a social worker who told a resident he was at the home to remove a child, but police have determined the report was false.

More >> Report about social worker impersonator was a hoax

Troopers probe reported false child caseworker incident

All three suspects ran away when the victim threatened to call police

Detectives with the Delaware State Police are investigating an incident where three people claimed to be caseworkers from child protective services.

More >> Troopers probe reported false child caseworker incident

Del. Man Charged With Physically Assaulting 2-Year-Old Foster Child

A man in Delaware is accused of physically assaulting his 2-year-old foster child.

More >> Del. Man Charged With Physically Assaulting 2-Year-Old Foster Child

Lewes man charged with assault for reported abuse of foster child

Delaware State Police say a Lewes man has been arrested for allegedly assaulting his foster child.

More >> Lewes man charged with assault for reported abuse of foster child

Children in foster care: More medication, less therapy

Foster care in a safe and prosperous environment is important to raise children whose physical and emotional health thrive. Recent press coverage about the health concerns faced by children in Delaware’s foster care system has spotlighted the need for a balance between prescription medication and therapy.

More >> Children in foster care: More medication, less therapy

Delaware foster kids prescribed drugs at higher levels

They survive neglect but lose faith in adults. They escape abuse but deal with the scars forever. They are taken from bad homes but can remain unsettled for years, and even the best-meaning foster parents can struggle to keep their past histories straight.

More >> Delaware foster kids prescribed drugs at higher levels

Farmington man charged after social worker hit with car

A Farmington man, identified as Wayne R. Nichols, 67, has been charged after he allegedly hit a state Division of Family Services worker with his car.

More >> Farmington man charged after social worker hit with car

Shackling children is not justice

Shackling children is not justice

Juvenile court is where kids who have broken the law come to take responsibility. As a judge and a parent, I know that it is far more effective to demonstrate responsibility than it is to give lectures on the topic. That is one reason why I put a stop to the automatic shackling of children in my courtroom. I have a responsibility to see that everyone is treated fairly and that the court works effectively to rehabilitate children. There is nothing fair or rehabilitative about wrapping a child in chains.

A push to end shackling of children in Delaware courts

A push to end shackling of children in Delaware courts

Children and teens appear every day in Delaware courtrooms with ankles locked together by metal leg irons.

• Advocates push to end shackling of youths in Del. courts

Glasgow man charged with sexual abuse of foster child

Glasgow man charged with sexual abuse of foster child

A Glasgow man has been charged with sexual abuse over many years of a girl who had been a foster child in his home, New Castle County police said Tuesday.

• Del. Man Who Acted As Foster Parent Arrested For Alleged Sexual Abuse Of Child

DFS CASE WORKER CHARGED WITH SEXUAL EXTORTION

DFS CASE WORKER CHARGED WITH SEXUAL EXTORTION

A Delaware case worker is accused of threatening to take away a woman's children if she didn't give him sexual favors.

Del. Family Services case worker charged with sexual extortion

Del. Family Services case worker charged with sexual extortion

Harrington Police say a Delaware Division of Family Services case worker faces a charge of sexual extortion and official misconduct.

Delaware panel eyes Family Court transparency

Delaware panel eyes Family Court transparency

Members of a task force studying limitations on public access to Family Court proceedings are recommending that some proceedings currently closed be presumed open to the public.

Former Miss Delaware Teen Melissa King Has Two Arrest Warrants

Former Miss Delaware Teen Melissa King Has Two Arrest Warrants

It seems former Miss Delaware Teen USA Melissa King had more than a porn video lurking in her past, as it was revealed that she has two outstanding police warrants in Maryland from underage possession of alcohol and theft charges.

Miss Delaware Teen USA Resigns After Porn Video Surfaces

Disclaimer: There is a link in this article to the porn video made by this former foster kid or whoever it is.  If you don't want to see it then be careful of what you click on.

Miss Delaware Teen USA Resigns After Porn Video Surfaces

Melissa King, who was crowned Miss Delaware Teen USA in November, reportedly resigned from her post today amid claims that she appeared in a pornographic movie shortly after her 18th birthday last year.

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In this video, an excerpt from a documentary about foster care in Delaware, King, having recently been crowned Miss Teen Delaware International, discusses her rise to pageant success after having been a foster kid from age 12 to age 18.

Delaware court shooting: Custody battle turns fatal

Delaware court shooting: Custody battle turns fatal

A shooter at a Delaware courthouse killed two women and wounded police officers before being fatally shot by police. The shooting began before he reached the metal detectors at the Delaware courthouse.

Delaware child custody battle claims mother’s life


An American man has shot dead his former wife, after both arrived in a Delaware courthouse to continue their legal battle over the custody of their child.