ANNAPOLIS, Md. 鈥斅燭he 2014 murders of two children by their mother still haunt Prince George鈥檚 County State鈥檚 Attorney Angela Alsobrooks, and she hopes that a proposal before state delegates will prevent such tragedies from ever happening again.
The bill, which has been presented before the Maryland House of Delegates Judiciary Committee, would allow for an investigation by the Department of Social Services when a child is threatened with harm by a parent, guardian or temporary caretaker.
鈥淲e want to make sure that we have every tool available to check in on children and make sure that they鈥檙e safe,鈥� Alsobrooks said.
The state鈥檚 attorney has pushed the proposal four years in a row now.
Sonia Spoon 鈥� the Cheverly, Maryland, mother of 1-year-old Ayden Spoon and 3-year-old Kayla Thompson 鈥� had threatened to kill herself and the children in 2014. Spoon was briefly hospitalized, evaluated and given medication before being released.
鈥淲e gave her the care that she needed, and when she went home, two days later, she did exactly what she promised, and she killed her children,” Alsobrooks recalled.
There is a gaping loophole in the law, she said: no requirement that the Department of Social services be notified to go to the home to check on the children.
There are concerns that false reports could be made, Alsobrooks said, but she believes those concerns could be dealt with through careful screening.
