Time and again, we read the horror stories of government agencies that are so backlogged, they don’t respond when there is a dire need.
Or, in some circumstances, agency officials cut corners or jump to conclusions that lead to innocent citizens enduring persecution.
Many agencies – whether federal, state, or local – are understaffed and underprepared to deal with imminent issues, and one mom is suffering because the “system” failed her.
Jing Tesoriero of Colorado was already dealing with the heartbreaking circumstances parents experience when faced with a divorce.
But beyond the usual issues that occur when a family goes through the trials that come with dissolving a marriage, many couples fight bitterly over their children.
This was the case for Jing and her estranged husband, Anthony. They were embroiled in a bitter custody fight over their son, Ty, a fourth-grader.
But even that agonizing ordeal was not all that Jing Tesoriero had to deal with.
Anthony Tesoriero spent the better part of a year harassing his wife. He threatened her, stalked her, and violated his court-ordered visitation schedule.
Jing frequently let authorities in law enforcement and the courts know that her husband was controlling and violent. She reported threatening phone calls and emails over and over again.
Even after protective orders were issued against Anthony, he was allowed to continue visitation with his son.
And he kept up the threats and harassment.
He continually violated court orders on visitation, at one point refusing to send his son back to his mother. On one such occasion, he kept Ty from Jing for nearly three months.
It’s hard to imagine that this could even happen. After all, court orders legally must be followed, right?
Well, between an overwhelming caseload and agency officials like Child Protective caseworkers being undertrained and over-extended, many families fall under the radar.
In May of last year, Jing Tesoriero’s attorney demanded a criminal investigation into Anthony Tesoriero on the grounds that his abuse and harassment should warrant losing his parental visitation rights.
And still nothing was done.
The attorney requested that the case be reopened, that the visitation orders be revisited in court. Again, delays and rejected requests for help.
Child Protective Services, law enforcement, and court officials were contacted in an effort to keep Ty safe from an increasingly dangerous father.
Anthony Tesoriero continued to call and post harassing messages, something apparently not covered by the protective order. Messages were even saved and recorded to offer proof of the danger.
Judges said they’d take the case “under consideration,” and Jing continued to wait for help.
And then, unspeakable tragedy…
Jing Tesoriero woke up to a horrific email from her husband in the wee hours of the morning.
“By the time you finish reading this, Ty will be moments away from joining me in the afterlife,” reported ABC 7 Denver.
She frantically drove to her husband’s home and called the police. She knew when no ambulance arrived on the scene that the worst scenario had occurred.
Anthony Tesoriero had killed his young son and himself.
Dozens of agencies turned their backs on Jing Tesoriero and even her attorney. Their pleas fell on deaf ears at nearly every turn.
Agencies who are in place to protect the innocent had failed a mother and child with their whole lives ahead of them.
The murder/suicide came only a day after a court hearing determining permanent custody of Ty – custody that was finally going to be solely awarded to his mother.
In a tragic turn of events, the judge who made the ruling stated she would write the official order over the weekend – a move that allowed Ty to go home for the weekend with his father.
It was too little, too late.
Jing Tesoriero is speaking out so that this never happens to another parent and child in danger. She wants to know why so many government agencies failed to step in and help before the situation escalated so far.
She wants to know who else is falling through the cracks of a broken system.
The State Department of Human Services, who Jing’s attorney had previously reached out to for help, is finally investigating in an attempt to save face.
And Governor Jared Polis has ordered that he be kept up to date on the findings.
No person – especially a child – should have to die in order to find the weaknesses of a system that is supposed to protect its citizens.
But as big government grows and continues to over-reach, citizens are the ones on the losing end.
What do you think of the unforgivable, system-wide failures that led to Ty Tesoriero’s murder? Leave us your comments.