The Child Protective Services case files for three Tucson children who died under the agency's watch portray in stark terms the agency's struggles, inconsistencies, efforts and failures in the cases.
Four-year-old Ariana Payne's decomposing body was found in February in a trash bin. The remains of her 5-year-old brother, Tyler, have yet to be found.
Their father, Christopher Matthew Payne and his girlfriend, Reina Gonzales, have been charged with the murders.
Five-year-old Brandon Williams, who was autistic, died in March from a skull fracture, but his system also had over-the-counter medications.
His mother, Diane Marsh, and her roommate, Flower Tompson, have been charged with his murder.
Timelines in the cases show the lengthy sequence of events leading up to the children's deaths.
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2002
January: Christopher Payne and Jamie Hallam, Ariana and Tyler's mother, marry.
May: Hallam, suffering from depression and pregnant with Ariana, enters treatment after she fears she might harm Tyler, who was 6 months old. A CPS worker meets with Payne, who is employed and appears to be taking care of Tyler.
December: Hallam files an order of protection against Payne, claiming he head-butted her while she was holding Ariana.
2003
June 16: Divorce decree gives sole custody of Ariana and Tyler to Hallam without visitation rights for Payne.
2005
Oct. 17: CPS worker Cindy Graupmann investigates an allegation that Hallam is using meth. Hallam "did appear to have sores on her face" and her "mobile home was slightly disheveled." Graupmann asks Hallam to take a drug test. But Hallam does not comply.'
2006
Jan. 6: Graupmann visits Hallam's home. Hallam, wearing long sleeves and pants, appears "emaciated with copious amounts of scabs and sores on her face." Graupmann again asks her to take a drug test.
Feb. 6: Graupmann speaks with Payne when she learns he's had the kids for several weeks. She suggests Payne petition for custody. "He said it would be World War III if he tried to get custody," she writes.
Feb. 15: Hallam calls Graupmann and tells her she has sole custody. No one checks court records. Hallam also says her lawyer advised her not to take any drug tests.
Feb. 21: A case aide visits Payne's apartment. The power is out and the children are missing shoes. A case summary says "no indication of abuse or neglect was found."
March 1: CPS sends Hallam a letter saying its October investigation has been closed and the allegation unsubstantiated.
March 9: Hallam attempts to get her kids back from Payne, but CPS tells police they are investigating Hallam and want the kids with Payne. Hallam calls Graupmann, who says the case is "going to remain open."
March - September, 2006: The window of time in which police believe Ariana Payne died.
April 14: The investigation into Hallam is reclosed. The allegation is unsubstantiated. CPS never notifies Hallam, saying she was notified in March.
October: Hallam gives birth. CPS suspects meth use and temporarily takes custody. Hallam tells CPS Ariana and Tyler are with Payne, but the agency does not check on them. Hallam tests clean. The baby is returned.
2007
Feb. 18: Police find Ariana's body in a trash bin.
March 8: CPS removes Hallam's baby. Deputies find drug paraphernalia in the home.
2006
Aug. 31: CPS is notified one of Brandon's older brothers allegedly attacked him and their mother, Diane Marsh.
Sept. 1: A CPS evaluation calls the home "unsafe," yet the family was assigned to in-home services. "At least one child is likely to be in danger of present and/or foreseeable danger of serious harm at this time," the evaluation says.
Sept. 11: Graupmann reports Marsh "appears unable and unwilling to parent her children, and her mental and physical health hampers her ability to provide a stable environment for her children. ... This investigator has concerns for the well-being and safety of Brandon, due to mother's erratic and evasive behavior at this time."
Sept. 13: Graupmann learns Brandon and Marsh are living in a motel. An attempt to speak with them fails.
Sept. 25: Graupmann visits Marsh's vacant home. No one answers and it's in "shambles." A neighbor says he hasn't seen anyone for days.
Sept. 27: In an e-mail, Assistant Attorney General Pennie Wamboldt, who had asked for a home visit, told CPS: "I am VERY concerned about Brandon remaining in (his mother's) care. ... Please continue at least doing welfare checks on Brandon with the school."
Brandon stops showing up for school.
Oct. 16: Brandon's school submits an abuse and neglect report. Meanwhile, Graupmann and a law enforcement official visit Marsh's home, which is vacant and has a foul smell.
Oct. 17: Following a tip from a neighbor, Graupmann visits Marsh's home and sees Marsh, Brandon and Flower Tompson, the roommate, in the driveway. But they drive away before she can stop them.
Nov. 13: CPS Supervisor Janet Lake reports: "Regular attempts to locate Brandon must be made and assessment of his safety be completed … Due to (mother's) behavior, her failure to engage, pattern of abandoning her children, and preventing CPS to access to Brandon, removal may be necessary."
2007
March 15: A Pima County sheriff's deputy visits Marsh's home. She speaks with Marsh and sees Brandon, whose legs are visibly bandaged. But the deputy accepts Marsh's statement that Brandon's injuries happened because he had "fallen into the gravel and got cut up by cacti."
March 21: Marsh calls 911 after Brandon stops breathing. He is rushed to the hospital, where he is pronounced dead.
Read the timelines of both cases inside, b2
Ariana and Tyler Payne
Brandon williams
