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 Victims file suit against the State for foster home abuse

The law office of Messina Bulzomi Christensen filed a lawsuit today on behalf of four victims who suffered more than six years of physical violence and sexual abuse while in foster care.   The lawsuit claims that Washington State Department of Social and Health services ignored years of reports of physical and sexual abuse and neglect from teachers, friends, relatives, and the children themselves.  The abuse began when the children were as young as five and continued into their teens.

Before receiving her foster care license in Washington, Juanita had previously lived in California, where she had been placed under arrest at least 50 times, and where Child Protective Services had removed her two biological children from her home because of drug addiction and neglect.  She also served jail time in Pierce County for illegal drug use and theft and was under the supervision of Washington’s Department of Corrections when she received her foster care license.

Aside from the unspeakable sexual abuse the children endured for Jose Miranda’s entertainment, and the physical abuse at the hands of both foster parents, the victims were also drugged, made to fake medical conditions so the Mirandas could get more money from the state, forced to beat each other with sticks, and participate in other degrading acts.   DSHS received over 35 reports and complaints against the couple over a seven-year span, which were either not investigated or were found “inconclusive”.

Tacoma Police were finally called in February of 2005 when Jose, believing he was on his deathbed, offered a confession of his crimes to a nurse.  Even after the confession, three of the children remained in Juanita’s care, the others having been removed in January of 2004.  In May of 2005, one of the children ran to the police to report that Juanita had stabbed her in the eye with a pen while under the influence of crystal meth.  DSHS still did not remove the children from her care until September of that year.

Jose was convicted of child rape, child molestation, and assault of a child and sentenced to 131 months to life in prison where he eventually died of congestive heart failure in 2009.  Juanita died of a multiple drug overdose in September of 2006.