The father of a 17-month-old child who died at his mother and grandfather’s Lancaster home from fentanyl overdose declared on Wednesday that the county Department of Children and Family Services had been negligent and that the agency ought to have known the child was dangerous in the house.
Justin Bulley Death:
The Los Angeles County (DCFS) is being sued by the family of a youngster who overdosed on fentanyl and passed away.
Justin Bulley, a 17-month-old who was in the care of his mother and grandfather, passed away on February 18 at a Lancaster residence after consuming fentanyl that was discovered there.
At the time of Justin’s passing, his father, Montise Bulley, was attempting to obtain custody of his son.
Claiming that Justin passed away while his grandpa, mother, and a DCFS social worker were in the house, Montise has launched a $65 million lawsuit against the agency.
According to the complaint, the boy’s mother, Jessica Darthard, and his grandpa, Jessie Darthard, were previously arrested for drug and DUI offenses. Social workers were allegedly informed of these incidents.
According to Montise, Justin and his three younger siblings were given up to their mother and grandpa despite their past.
Brian Claypool, the boy’s father’s lawyer, asked, “How in the world could this happen?”One response is available. We have the pitiful L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services in Lancaster. What occurs at that Lancaster agency is beyond horrifying.
A news conference was organized on Wednesday by Claypool and the family of Justin to announce the lawsuit and provide further information about the toddler’s death.
“The mother was hit with a first strike in California in 2006 for shooting a gun into an occupied house,” Claypool said. “That offense alone should have prevented this woman from caring for her children.”
Claypool claims that further grave incidents should have prevented Jessica from seeing her kids.
According to the lawsuit, Jessica’s boyfriend overdosed and died on April 10, 2023, in front of all four of her children.
Her children were apparently inside the car when she crashed her vehicle into a large rig, and baby Justin wasn’t buckled up in a car seat. She had previously been jailed for DUI.
According to court records, “the search of Jessica Darthard revealed multiple alcohol-related arrests and cruelty to a child in 2023.” “[Jessica] was well-known for abusing drugs. Her four children all had illicit narcotics in their systems from birth. Jessica’s father was a prominent drug dealer in the Antelope Valley, which DCFS was also aware of.
According to the lawsuit, the DCFS social worker overseeing the family was in the boy’s house that evening, even bringing her three kids. According to Claypool, Justin’s grandfather and mother were using alcohol and fentanyl while the kids were around.
According to Claypool, “It was only a matter of time until at least one child died at the hands of this mother.” When Justin passed away, six additional children were living there. There could have been six more murdered kids in this house.
Claypool added to the accusations by claiming that Jessica’s close friend was the social worker.
The lawsuit claimed that rather than rescuing the boy when the social worker discovered Justin had taken the narcotics and was in danger, the social worker left the house with her children.
“At the scene of the death is the woman the county appointed!” stated Claypool. What actions does she take? She doesn’t intervene to try to help these children. She has not taken these children from that residence. How does she go about doing this? She runs because she’s a coward. She executes a 360-degree turn as the paramedics arrive at the residence. Leaves the house with her children in tow.
The lawsuit states that once the social worker was taken into custody by the police, tests were conducted on her three children, who were all discovered to have fentanyl in their systems.
According to the boy’s postmortem report, “the level of fentanyl that was in Justin’s body was staggering,” Claypool said. The area around his heart had 25 nanograms of fentanyl in the blood. A child just needs one to be killed. He was descended from 25.
On behalf of Justin, his father, and his younger siblings—who allegedly endured years of abuse and neglect—a $65 million wrongful death case was filed.
The boy’s father, Montise, said, “I was devastated.” “I didn’t get it. That phone call reached me. Who receives that kind of phone call? I had no idea what to do. I was taken aback. With any luck, they can alter the framework. Although I’m not an expert, I would appreciate a thorough inquiry.
“A DCFS visitation supervisor is present, and the mother and her father are using drugs and alcohol,” Claypool stated. “This individual is meant to safeguard children, yet she is at the house where the father and mother of these small children are doing drugs. In this instance, warning signs justified the evacuation of Justin and his three siblings. They should have all moved out of their mother’s home years ago. Reports that [Justin] and his siblings were put with a mother and grandpa who were substance abusers and were frequently in the company of booze and drugs were disregarded by DCFS officials.
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