Special Brooklyn grand jury criticizes NYC’s Children Services Administration
Following the death of a 4-year-old Brooklyn girl, a special grand jury was impaneled to the actions, procedures and practices of the New York City Administration for Children Services (ACS) and returned a scathing review.
In September 2010, Marchella Pierce died from starvation and abuse in the Brooklyn apartment she shared with her mother, grandmother and two siblings. ACS was supervising the Pierce household because Marchella’s mother had given birth to another child while she was under the influence of an illegal drug.
A former ACS caseworker, Damon Adams, and supervisor, Chereece Bell, were charged with negligent homicide. Shortly thereafter, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes convened the special grand jury, which, after hearing testimony from 40 witnesses and combing through 111 exhibits, found that ACS took “none of the obvious steps that would have saved [Marchella’s] life.”