Toddler died after L.A. County placed her with dad previously jailed for abuse, lawsuit says
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The mother of Tilly Servin, a toddler who prosecutors believe was tortured to death in Long Beach last year, is suing Los Angeles County’s child protection agency for leaving her daughter in the custody of the child’s father, who was previously sentenced to four years in prison for child abuse.In a lawsuit filed Feb.
19, Alexis Servin claims that the county Department of Children and Family Services should have known the toddler’s father, Alfredo Muñoz Jr., and stepmother, Kelly Muñoz, presented an “extreme and foreseeable danger.” The couple were charged with felony abuse of two children in November 2021.Alfredo, 41, and Kelly Muñoz, 34, were arrested on suspicion of murder and torture in November after Tilly was rushed to the hospital with a severe brain injury.Both have pleaded not guilty to charges of felony child abuse.
Alfredo Muñoz initially said he tripped over a baby gate while holding Tilly, according to an autopsy report from the L.A.County medical examiner.
Tilly died Nov.10.
The autopsy found a “constellation of injuries that cannot be explained by a single low-level or short-distance accidental fall,” including blunt head trauma and a severe spinal cord injury.At 14 months old, Tilly had “repeated inflicted trauma,” the medical examiner found.Tilly was the latest in a long line of children who have died while under the supervision of the Department of Children and Family Services, or DCFS.The agency said in a statement that it was “deeply saddened to learn of the tragedy involving 14-month-old Tilly S.” but said state law prohibits officials from commenting further.At a news conference Wednesday in downtown L.A., Servin remembered her daughter as a bubbly toddler with piercing blue eyes who wriggled with delight at the sight of Elmo.Servin, who lost custody of her daughter when the infant was about 5 months old, said she started to be...