REMEMBERING ANGEL

Angel Deherrera was just four years old when he died in February 2009 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Angel and his two siblings had been placed in foster care after concerns about drug use and ongoing domestic violence in their parents' home.

The purpose of their placement was to provide a safer environment where they could be protected and cared for.

Instead, Angel died while playing outside without adult supervision.

His death exposed troubling failures in the foster care system, including repeated reports of concerns about the home where he had been placed.

Angel's Story

In April 2008, Angel and his two siblings were placed in the foster home of Manuela Tooker.

Before the placement, child protection workers had already received nine phone calls expressing concerns about Tooker's foster home.

Some reports described allegations of inappropriate treatment of children.

One allegation involved Tooker dragging a child down a staircase. Investigators closed the assessment as inconclusive because no visible injuries were found.

Another allegation claimed that Tooker had thrown cold water on a child who was experiencing a mental health crisis. That report was also deemed inconclusive.

Despite these concerns, Angel and his siblings were placed in her care.

Approximately two months after their placement, the El Paso County Department of Human Services received a report that one of Angel's school age siblings had been punished with a belt after kissing another child in the home.

Because no visible injuries were found, the assessment was closed as inconclusive.

Another report described bruises on the sibling's back, but child protection workers did not assign the report for investigation. They believed that any visible evidence would have disappeared before an assessment could begin.

On the day Angel died, Tooker sent him outside to play on a trampoline while she prepared lunch inside the home.

Angel was left without adult supervision.

Approximately 30 minutes later, when he did not respond to her calls, Tooker went outside.

She found Angel lifeless on the trampoline with a cord wrapped around his neck.

The coroner determined that Angel had become entangled in the trampoline's netting and died from asphyxia.

His death was officially ruled an accident.

However, child protective services determined that Tooker had failed to provide adequate supervision and cited her for fatal lack of supervision.

Angel was only four years old.

Warning Signs and System Failures

Angel's death raised serious concerns about the screening and monitoring of foster homes.

Before Angel entered Tooker's care, child protection workers had received nine reports expressing concerns about her home.

Three additional reports were received before his death.

The reports included allegations of inappropriate discipline, possible physical abuse, and unsafe living conditions.

Several assessments were closed as inconclusive, while another report involving injuries to Angel's sibling was not investigated.

According to subsequent reporting, social workers had specifically instructed Tooker to supervise Angel whenever he used the trampoline.

Despite that warning, Angel was left outside alone.

After his death, the El Paso County Department of Human Services determined that his foster mother had failed to provide the supervision necessary to protect him.

The foster home was subsequently closed, and Tooker surrendered her foster care license.

Angel's case demonstrated the importance of taking repeated concerns about foster placements seriously and ensuring that young children receive appropriate supervision.

JUSTICE FOR ANGEL

Following Angel's death, the coroner classified the incident as an accidental asphyxiation.

The El Paso County Department of Human Services reached a different conclusion regarding responsibility for his care, determining that his foster mother had committed fatal lack of supervision.

Prosecutors reviewed the circumstances but decided not to pursue criminal charges.

Although child protective services found that Tooker had failed to adequately supervise Angel, prosecutors concluded that the available evidence did not establish a criminal offense that could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

Tooker's foster care license was surrendered, and the home was closed.

Angel's estate and Sabrina Deherrera subsequently pursued civil litigation involving Tooker, Options Inc., and an agency director.

Federal court records show that the lawsuit was returned to Colorado state court in September 2011.

The available records do not establish a final judgment or settlement in that civil case.

Manuela Tooker

Relationship to Angel: Foster mother

Finding: Fatal lack of supervision by child protective services

Criminal charges: None filed

Sentence: None

FOREVER REMEMBERED

Angel Deherrera was four years old when his life ended.

He was a little boy who had been placed in foster care because adults believed he needed a safer home.

He deserved to be protected.

He deserved to play without being placed in danger.

He deserved the supervision, attention, and care that every young child needs.

Instead, Angel died while playing outside alone.

The concerns surrounding his foster placement had been reported repeatedly, yet those warnings did not prevent his death.

His story became another reminder of the responsibility that foster care systems have to protect children entrusted to their care.

But Angel was more than the circumstances of his death.

He was a son and a brother.

He was a little boy whose life mattered and whose childhood should have continued.

He deserved more birthdays, more time with his siblings, and the opportunity to grow up in safety.

Although the available public records tell us little about Angel's personality, favorite activities, or happiest memories, his life deserves to be remembered with dignity.

Angel Deherrera should have had the chance to grow up.

Abuse Angels remembers Angel Deherrera.

Remembered. Honored. Never Forgotten.