‘EVERY SINGLE SAFEGUARD FAILED’
Report: Fall River teen shouldn’t have been in father’s care
Autistic teen David Almond and his brother Michael should have never been returned to the care of their father and his girlfriend in a Fall River house of squalor where David died last October malnourished and covered in vomit, according to a report released by the Office of the Child Advocate Wednesday.
“In this case, every single safeguard failed David,” Maria Mossaides, director of the Office of the Child Advocate, said in a Wednesday press conference.
David Almond, 14, who was described as “courageous” and shared an “extraordinary” bond with his triplet brothers Michael and “Noah,” weighed just 80 pounds at the time of his death, according to the report.
The state’s Department of Children and Families had removed the three autistic brothers and a half sibling from their father John Almond and his girlfriend Jaclyn Coleman’s home in 2017, but ordered their return in early 2020 as the pandemic began to grip Massachusetts, a serious error for which there was no rationale.
“The OCA could not deduce, and no DCF personnel were able to articulate, any clear reason why David and Michael were reunified with Mr. Almond and Ms. Coleman,” the report states.
Michael was also malnourished and tested positive for fentanyl when police responded to the home last October. He was hospitalized for months and survived his injuries.
Fentanyl was also found in the systems of a 3-year-old half brother along with John Almond, Coleman and the boys’ grandmother.
The third triplet, given the pseudonym Noah, refused to be reunified with the family and has remained at a residential school, the report states.
The OCA report found that David and Michael didn’t attend school or have an in-person DCF visit for seven months from March 2020 to October.
Superintendent of Fall River Public Schools Matthew Malone told the Herald, “The systems in place failed and we allowed a house of horrors to eradicate and snuff out the life of a kid who can’t defend himself, so I’m angry today.”
The OCA report said school staff attempted to contact the family and DCF several times with concerns, but district employees never saw or spoke with David or Michael from March 2020 to the time of David’s death.
In addition, Mossaides said John Almond and Coleman kept social workers and school staff at a distance, often manipulating virtual visits and making excuses to avoid contact.
DCF staff also failed to identify John Almond’s home as “high risk” for future abuse and neglect, according to the report.
A statement from DCF said the department “mourns” for David Almond.
One Fall River DCF office manager was fired as a result of the case and another was slated for termination but retired, according to DCF.
Michael and Noah have been reunited and remain under DCF care, according to Mossaides.
Almond and Coleman are facing criminal charges in David Almond’s death and a Bristol County grand jury on Friday indicted the two on several charges.