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Horton Child Death Spurs Federal Lawsuit

By Brian Hagen

02/18/2015

Lee Davis IV and Janice Summerford

(KNZA)--A federal lawsuit, stemming from the March 2013 death of a Horton boy, gains attention after it was included as a budget item provided to lawmakers on Monday.

The Topeka Capital-Journal, in an in-depth article published Wednesday, says the 100-plus page lawsuit was filed in October of last year by the mother of Mekhi Boone, who died while under the care of his father and his father's live-in girlfriend.

Both Lee Davis IV and Janice Summerford are serving prison sentences in relation to the death of 4-year-old Mekhi, following their past convictions in Brown County District Court.

According to the Capital-Journal's article, a social worker, just days prior to the child's death, documented the boy's injuries as “the worst case of child abuse they have seen.”

His mother, Naomi Boone, filed the lawsuit aimed at two agencies, TFI Family Services and the Kansas Department of Children and Families, alleging they played a role in the boy's death due to allowing him to be placed in the care of his father.

According to the Capital-Journal, DCF acknowledges that the case has been reviewed and one employee terminated.

TFI's legal counsel released a statement saying, in part, that it is TFI”s policy not to comment on pending litigation.

The report states that a scheduling conference related to the ongoing lawsuit is scheduled for Monday.

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