When 21-month-old Sadence “Sadee” Willot died on September 7, 2015, her mother was charged in her death, later pleading guilty to second-degree murder. However, as far as the child’s father Christopher Willott is concerned, justice has not been served because the New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth, and Families is also complicit in the crime because their negligence contributed to her death. We, Kathleen Raskin and Robert Raskin of Las Vegas, Nevada, agree that the department is partially responsible, and it’s time to hold them accountable.

A Young Life Cut Tragically Short

Before Sadee was found unresponsive at her mother’s Manchester home, the child had been subjected to a great deal of abuse. The toddler had been the victim of emotional abuse, neglect, and numerous serious beatings that resulted in contusions and broken bones. In the final attack that claimed her life before she ever really even had a chance to live, the child’s mother, 23-year-old Katlin Paquette, pushed her into a bathtub, inflicting fatal head injuries.

Paquette is serving a sentence of 21 to 42 years, but what of the caseworkers who were charged with protecting this child yet failed time and again to intervene despite numerous complaints? Sadee’s father, Christopher Willott, wants to make sure they are also charged in the child’s death. Concerned calls about Sadee’s well-being began shortly after the girl’s birth, and workers had visited the home multiple times, yet they failed to adequately investigate or to take any measures that would have spared the child’s life.

This is the second suspicious death involving DCYF in the past two years, and it’s time to step in to do something about this problem before a third New Hampshire child perishes. We wish Mr. Willott success in his court battle, and we hope to see justice done not just for Sadee, but also for the many other children who are harmed each year when the system fails them.