Franklin County Children Services is disputing a sworn affidavit that two people accused of harming a 2-year-old this week were her foster parents.
Columbus police charged 30-year-old Angel Foster-Burks and 34-year-old Clayton Burks on Wednesday with child endangerment. Foster-Burks was arrested on Wednesday, while Burks remained at large Friday night.
Around 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 4, the 2-year-old girl was taken to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in cardiac arrest. Homicide detectives were initially tasked with investigating the circumstances of the girl’s injuries because doctors did not expect her to survive.
According to court records, the 2-year-old had multiple brain bleeds, “abusive head trauma,” bruising to her forehead, temples, cheeks and eyes, as well as injuries to her back and knees. Doctors have now determined the girl, who was only identified by her initials, will survive — but will have severe and long-term complications from the injuries she sustained.
“Evidence suggested Mr. Burks caused the abuse while Ms. Foster-Burks was a passive participant,” court records stated.
A police affidavit, filed in Franklin County Municipal Court, stated an investigation determined Foster-Burks and Burks were the child’s foster parents. But a spokeswoman for Franklin County Children Services issued a statement Friday saying Foster was actually “legal custodian” of the 2-year-old.
Foster parents must go through a vetting process, which includes a background check, while a legal custodian can obtain custody through a number of other avenues, said county Children Services spokeswoman Doris Calloway Moore.
The investigation determined that several other children, believed to be the girl’s siblings, were also at a home on the 300 block of Glenwood Avenue in Franklinton.
The children were removed and placed with family or foster parents, Calloway Moore said. She declined to say how many children were removed from the household.