AJ's Story: Newspaper Articles

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A.J.'s Story - Newspaper Articles

The following links take you to various articles in AJ's story as it appeared in the South Florida media.

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*In Loving Memory Of* Andrew James "A.J." Schwarz April 24,1983 - May 2,1993 "Beautiful Child who has found love from the angels...RIP..."
This page contains articles from the Palm Beach Post and The Sun-Sentinel from the year 1993.

If you are interested in reading the FULL DETAILS of this case aside from what is posted here, please purchase "No One Can Hurt Him Anymore" by Carol J.Rothgeb and Scott H. Cupp. Mr. Cupp thinks it's the book that nobody will read...please show your support and show him that you care about AJ, too by ordering his book by clicking on the cover image below.

Lantana Boy, 10, Found in Pool (5/3/93)
Autopsy: 10-Year-Old Drowned -- HRS Places Lantana Boy's Siblings in Foster Care (5/4/93)
Pool Death Under Study (5/5/93)
Dead Boy's Neighbors Tell of Odd Punishments (5/5/93)
Dead Lantana Boy's Sisters Taken From Home (5/6/93)
Judge Extends Girls' Protective Custody (5/6/93)
2nd Autopsy Completed in Child's Death (5/11/93)
2nd Autopsy Agrees Delray Boy Drowned (5/11/93)
Abuse Charges Fly in Boy's Death: Parents Deny Charges That They Mistreated 10-Year-Old Son (5/16/93)
No Ruling in 10-Year-Old's Drowning (6/23/93)
Investigating a Young Life and Death (8/1/93)

LANTANA BOY, 10, FOUND DEAD IN POOL
The Palm Beach Post
May 3, 1993

A man awoke Sunday morning to find the body of his 10-year-old son floating in an above-ground pool behind the family's house in Concept Homes, west of Lantana, a Palm Beach County sheriff's sergeant said.
Andrew Schwarz was dead when his father pulled his nude body from the water about 6 a.m. and called for help, Sgt. Ken Deischer said.
The family told investigators the boy was asleep in his room when his father and stepmother went to bed. The boy's clothes were found next to his bed, Deischer said.
The back door of the home at 5881 Triphammer Road was locked when they went to bed, and unlocked when the boy's father found his body.
An autopsy was to have been done today to determine the cause of death.
Neighbors said Andrew, who attended Indian Pines Elementary School, was a friendly and hard-working child. They remember him as a polite and nice boy.

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AUTOPSY: 10-YEAR-OLD DROWNED -
HRS PLACES LANTANA BOY'S SIBLINGS IN FOSTER CARE
Palm Beach Post, The (FL)
May 4, 1993
JENNY STALETOVICH, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

The death of a 10-year-old boy whose bruised and naked body was found in
his family's pool was caused by drowning, officials said Monday.
But detectives are continuing to investigate how Andrew "A.J." Schwarz died. A.J.' s body was found by his stepmother and father, Jessica and David Schwarz, in the above-ground pool behind their house at 5881 Triphammer Road about 6 a.m. Sunday. The Schwarzes told detectives A.J. was asleep in bed when they turned in for the night. Bruises were found on the boy's body, but detectives would not say where. After detectives questioned the parents, state Department of Health and Rehabilitative Service workers put A.J.' s half-sister and stepsister in protective custody Sunday. The Schwarzes declined to comment, and HRS officials could not be reached for comment Monday. In the Concept Homes neighborhood where overturned bicycles clutter front yards already crowded by basketball hoops and other toys, where children run from door to door looking for friends, A.J. did not take part in the fun,
neighbors said. "He was really nice and kind. But he wasn't ever allowed to play," said 11-year-old Troy Falk, who attended Indian Pines Elementary School where A.J. was a third-grader.
On several occasions, neighbor Beth Walton cared for A.J.
"I watched him one day, and he begged me to let him wash the bathroom because I let him watch TV and gave him something to eat," Walton said. The Schwarzes moved to the area about two years ago, said neighbor Laura Soto. As a truck driver, David Schwarz was away for long periods. Three children-- A.J., his stepsister, Lauren Cross, 10, and half-sister, Jackie Schwarz, 4-- lived in the Schwarz house. Another child, the daughter of David Schwarz's previous wife, lived with the family until she was moved to a foster home, said Gerald Falk who lives across the street.
Neighbors said they often saw A.J. with bruises.
"She's (hit him) in front of all these kids. She even did it to my own
kids and that's when I said they couldn't go over there anymore," Walton said. Since May 1990, deputies have been called to the house 14 times for such incidents as battery, petty theft and neighbor trouble, records show. During the past year, Shirley Leiter has seen the thin, blond-haired A.J. walking down the sidewalk dragging a bag of cans almost every Thursday. Last Thursday, she was sitting on her porch drinking coffee when she asked A.J. what he was doing.
"He told me, `I've been up since 4:45 a.m. this morning and I'm so
hungry.' I said, `Well go home and eat and he said, `I can't. I have to get more cans or she'll send me to jail,' " Leiter said.
Leiter said she called HRS' child abuse hot line, then she called Indian
Pines Elementary School and talked to an administrator.
Principal Christine Murray declined to talk about A.J., but said a
guidance counselor and school psychologist were on hand Monday to help students.

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POOL DEATH UNDER STUDY
Sun-Sentinel
May 5, 1993
Staff reports

The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner ruled on Tuesday that the cause of death for an 11-year-old boy pulled from a backyard pool on Sunday was ''consistent with drowning,'' but the manner of death remains undetermined.
Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies said the boy, Andrew J. Schwarz, was found face down in the family's pool by his father about 6:30 a.m. Sunday. The home is in the 5800 block of Trip Hammer Road, west of Lake Worth.
Medical examiner investigator Wayne Jenkins said microscopic and toxicological tests have been completed, but the results will not be available for several days.

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DEAD BOY'S NEIGHBORS TELL OF ODD PUNISHMENTS
Palm Beach Post, The (FL)
May 5, 1993
JENNY STALETOVICH, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

In the months before a 10-year-old boy drowned in his backyard pool, and before neighbors said they saw odd punishments inflicted on the boy, his biological mother was fighting to get him back, she said Tuesday. The bitter battle for Andrew "A.J." Schwarz nearly ended in an emergency hearing, but the hearing was denied last month, said his mother, Ilene Schwarz.
A.J. Schwarz, a blond-haired wiry boy with a streak of hyperactivity, was found dead in the pool behind his father and stepmother's house at 5881 Triphammer Road at dawn Sunday. The Medical Examiner said A.J. drowned, but has not ruled on the manner of death.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's detectives, who discovered bruises on the third-grader's nude body, are continuing to investigate.
Since his death, neighbors have detailed harsh punishments-- punishments that his stepmother said Tuesday are fabricated. Several said they saw things at the Lantana home that worried them enough to call the state Department of Rehabilitative Services.
Laura Soto, who lives across the street, said she saw A.J. locked alone in the back yard when the family left for the day. Another neighbor said A.J. was forced to trim the lawn with nothing more than a pair of household scissors.
But Jessica Schwarz said A.J. was just goofing around.
And A.J. was often roused from sleep to collect aluminum cans before the sun was up, said another neighbor, who said A.J. told her he'd be sent to "jail" if he didn't collect enough cans.
But Jessica Schwarz said her stepson was a troubled child with emotional problems whose erratic behavior may have caused his death.
"He just would not think before he acted. He would just jump," she said.
"Where were these neighbors when all this was going on? Why didn't they say something to me? . . . Because they wanted their face on the news," she said. After A.J.' s death, HRS removed Jessica Schwarz' two children from the home. HRS officials have declined to comment. A.J. and his half sister, Paula, 13, went to live with their dad and his wife in November 1991 after Paula accused their mother's ex-husband of sexually assaulting her. But in February, 1992, Paula was returned to foster care after she told school officials that she would kill herself if returned to the Schwarz home, Ilene Schwarz and neighbors said. About 10 months later, Ilene Schwarz won custody of Paula, but efforts to have A.J. returned home failed.
As recently as three weeks ago, Ilene Schwarz said she asked a judge for an emergency hearing to get A.J. back in her home, but her request was denied, she said. Details of such juvenile proceedings are not public record. Police calls to the Schwarz residence in the Concept Homes development at Lantana and Jog roads were not unheard of, neighbors said. In June 1991, deputies were called to the house about a fight, reports said. When they arrived, they found David Schwarz pinning Jessica Schwarz to their driveway. David Schwarz told police his wife had been at a neighbor's house drinking. When he tried to take her home, Jessica Schwarz began hitting him, then broke his car windshield, reports said. When deputies questioned Jessica Schwarz, she said if she were not taken away, there would be more fighting, reports said. Jessica Schwarz pleaded guilty to battery and was sentenced to time served, reports said. Between 1976 and 1982, David Schwarz was convicted three times of driving while drunk, records show.

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DEAD LANTANA BOY'S SISTERS TAKEN FROM HOME
Sun-Sentinel
May 6, 1993
By MARISA J. PORTO, Staff Writer

LANTANA -- Authorities have placed a couple's daughters in protective custody three days after their son was found dead in their swimming pool.
Authorities have asked that the children have no contact with their parents until their investigation into the death of Andrew ''A.J.'' Schwarz, 10, is complete. ''It's a common practice to keep them from talking to each other until investigators talk to them,'' said Palm Beach County sheriff's spokesman Bob Ferrell. David Schwarz, A.J.'s father, found his son floating in the pool early Sunday morning but was unable to revive the boy, according to police reports.
Officials at the county medical examiner's office have tentatively said that the boy drowned but are waiting on toxicology tests, Ferrell said.
A.J. lived with his father, his stepmother, Jessica, and the couple's two daughters at 5881 Triphammer Road in Concept Homes. The subdivision is off Lantana and Jog roads.
A.J. and his half-sister went to live with their father and stepmother in 1991. The children's mother, Ilene Schwarz of Fort Lauderdale, said state officials placed the two in David Schwarz's care after her 13-year-old daughter accused Ilene Schwarz's second husband of abusing her.
Her daughter was returned to her in November. Since then, Ilene Schwarz had been fighting for A.J.'s return. Her latest try was two weeks ago. ''We were concerned about his safety, but we were ignored,'' Ilene Schwarz said.
The blond-haired boy, who attended third grade at Indian Pines Elementary School, enjoyed riding his bicycle, playing with Ninja Turles and wrestling, said Ilene Schwarz. But she and neighbors have said his life at the Lantana home was not a happy one.
They have made allegations that the child was abused while living with his father and stepmother. Reached at home on Wednesday, the couple refused to comment on the charges.
Palm Beach County sheriff's records show that deputies have been to the home several times for domestic problems or neighborhood disputes, but not child abuse charges, Ferrell said.

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JUDGE EXTENDS GIRLS' PROTECTIVE CUSTODY
The Palm Beach Post
May 6, 1993

The state Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services asked a judge Wednesday to extend the state's custody of two girls who were removed from their home after their 10-year-old stepbrother was found dead in a backyard pool.
Judge Howard Berman ordered the girls, 4 and 10, to remain with their grandmother, said Jim Kouba, deputy HRS district administrator.
HRS took custody of the girls after Andrew "A.J." Schwarz was found dead Sunday and neighbors claimed he was abused. The boy's father, David Schwarz, and his stepmother, Jessica Schwarz, have denied abusing any of the children.
An autopsy of A.J.' s body showed the cause of death consistent with drowning, but Medical Examiner James Benz said he will not make a final decision until toxicology tests are completed next week.

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2ND AUTOPSY COMPLETED IN CHILD'S DEATH
Sun-Sentinel
May 11, 1993
By RICH POLLACK, Staff Writer

A second medical investigation has been launched into the death of Andrew James ''A.J.'' Schwarz, 10, who was found in the family swimming pool on May 2. Dr. Joseph Burton, the chief medical examiner in DeKalb County, Ga., performed a second autopsy on Schwarz on Friday and said he will continue his investigation.
''An autopsy is just a piece of the puzzle,'' he said.
He would not give specific autopsy findings other than to say they did not greatly differ from those of Palm Beach County Medical Examiner Dr. James Benz, who performed an autopsy earlier this month. Benz has not released final autopsy results, but officials said it appears the cause of death will be listed as drowning.
Doug Jenkins, an investigator with Benz's office, said the medical examiner is awaiting chemical and microscopic tissue tests before reaching a conclusion.
''Dr. Benz just wants to make sure there is nothing else contributing to the drowning,'' Jenkins said.
Schwarz's mother, Ilene, of Fort Lauderdale, has raised questions about A.J.'s death while he was living west of Lantana with his father and stepmother, David and Jessica Schwarz. Ilene Schwarz had been seeking to regain custody of A.J. at the time of his death.
Allegations of child abuse have surfaced during the course of the investigation. Burton, a member of a panel of forensic pathologists studying child deaths, said he was asked by the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office to look into the case. He said he agreed to take the case at no cost to Palm Beach County for the investigation.
In addition to performing the autopsy, Burton said he also questioned the detectives working the case and will be studying additional information he asked investigators to send him.
Following the second autopsy, investigators released Schwarz's body to a Fort Lauderdale funeral home. Funeral and burial services were held on Monday.

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2ND AUTOPSY AGREES DELRAY BOY DROWNED
Palm Beach Post, The (FL)
May 11, 1993

A second autopsy on a 10-year-old boy whose body was found floating in his backyard pool on May 2 agreed with the first autopsy performed by the Palm Beach County medical examiner, officials said.
Sheriff's investigators and state prosecutors asked for a second autopsy on Andrew "A.J." Schwarz last week after Dr. James Benz concluded the cause of death was consistent with drowning, said investigator Doug Jenkins. A Georgia physician agreed with Benz's conclusion, Jenkins said. Investigators, who said A.J.' s body was bruised, have been looking into allegations of child abuse after neighbors said A.J.' s father and stepmother, David and Jessica Schwarz, beat the boy and inflicted odd punishments.
The Schwarzes, who live at 5881 Triphammer Road, have denied abusing the child.
A.J.' s biological mother, Ilene Schwarz, who lost custody of her son two years ago, buried him Monday in Fort Lauderdale.

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ABUSE CHARGES FLY IN BOY'S DEATH PARENTS DENY CHARGES THAT THEY MISTREATED 10-YEAR-OLD SON
Sun-Sentinel
May 16, 1993
By LARRY BARSZEWSKI, Staff Writer

State child protection investigators were such routine visitors at David and Jessica Schwarz's home that Jessica knew who they were before they even knocked.
Court custody orders required caseworkers to pop in every two weeks to check up on her stepson, Andrew ''A.J.'' Schwarz. They stopped by many more times because of child abuse complaints phoned in by neighbors in the Concept Homes community west of Lantana.
The abuse allegations about her 10-year-old stepson were unfounded, she said. After investigating, the state Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services never took any action to remove A.J. or Jessica Schwarz's two daughters from the house.
Then, in the early-morning hours of May 2, A.J. drowned. His father found the boy's lifeless and naked body floating in the family's above-ground backyard swimming pool.
Two weeks later, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is still investigating the drowning. HRS is conducting its own investigation. The medical examiner is awaiting the results of more laboratory tests before ruling on the manner of death -- how A.J. drowned.
The wiry, blond-haired youth seemed a normal child. He loved watching professional wrestling. His favorites were Hulk Hogan, Rick Flair and Sting. He was crazy about Ninja Turtles and the action-packed Steven Seagal movies. He fancied himself a kung fu expert.
But the third-grader at Indian Pines Elementary School was also hyperactive and asthmatic, he had a short attention span and craved hugs almost constantly. He had lived through a lot in 10 years.
''There were a lot of things going on in his mind that we didn't know about,'' said his father, David Schwarz. ''He wasn't normal. He didn't have a normal life. He was denied that.''
A.J.'s parents divorced when he was 2. His mother, Ilene Schwarz of Fort Lauderdale, received custody of A.J. and a half-sister. They moved around during the next few years, depending on where Mom could find work. David Schwarz remembers the visitations he had with the children. He said they were not cared for.
''They came over in rags. They were like animals,'' he said.
Ilene Schwarz married Thomas Luke when A.J. was 5. Less than 1/2 years later, Luke was arrested on charges of abusing A.J.'s mother and molesting A.J.'s half-sister. Luke and Schwarz were divorced, and Luke was sentenced to seven years in prison on the molestation charge.
But Ilene Schwarz lost custody of her two children for failing to protect them when the molestation charges first surfaced in August 1990. The children went to live with an aunt and then were placed in foster care before David and Jessica Schwarz took custody of them three months later.
Allegations of child abuse have hounded the family since, mostly from neighbors. Most of the complaints involved Jessica Schwarz, an ex-truck driver with a salty tongue who has little patience for friendly chit-chat.
''I'm a yeller,'' Jessica Schwarz said. ''I don't hit nobody, but I have a big mouth.''
David and Jessica Schwarz also drank a lot, according to neighbors and Ilene Schwarz. Jessica Schwarz was arrested on domestic assault charges in 1991 after she had had too much to drink, according to a sheriff's office report. Both have been arrested on drunken driving charges, police reports show.
Jessica Schwarz said maybe neighbors do not like her because she never wanted to have anything to do with them.
''I made this house comfortable for kids,'' she said, pointing out the pool, play set, games, dogs, cats and birds that were around to be played with. ''I was into my family.''
She was also into intimidation and punishment, according to A.J.'s half sister. The girl was taken from the house in February 1992 and eventually returned to her mother after she complained about being slapped around by her stepmother, according to a court document. She had threatened to commit suicide if she was left in the home, the document said.
Neighbors said they made several calls to HRS about the family.
''I was aware of an abusive situation,'' said Ida Falk, who lives across the street. ''A.J. really didn't have any friends, because he wasn't allowed to play a lot.''
''He was made to feel that he did not matter. He was just there to empty kitty litter and clean bathrooms,'' neighbor Beth Ann Walton said. ''The kid was so hungry for affection he would sit on my lap and hug me until I said, 'A.J., enough.'''
The charges and counter-charges fly:
-- Was A.J. forced to cut the lawn with scissors, as some neighbors said, or had he broken the electric lawn mower and went for the scissors without telling his parents?
-- Was food withheld from him as punishment, as his mother says, or was the 4-foot-5, 57-pound boy a healthy eater who just did not put on weight, as his father said?
-- Did he break his nose a few months ago by tripping while riding his 4- year-old half-sister's too-small bicycle, or was he hit by one of his parents, as his mother thinks?
The nose incident prompted Ilene Schwarz to try unsuccessfully to get an emergency hearing to regain custody of A.J. last month.
Ilene Schwarz holds HRS, which would not comment on the matter, culpable in A.J.'s death for failing to heed neighbors' warnings.
''If anybody told us HRS was getting ready to (investigate their family), we would tell them to take their kids and run,'' Ilene Schwarz said. ''They've done more damage to this family than anybody could possibly have done.''
David and Ilene Schwarz have not been on good terms for years, and A.J.'s death has added to the strain.
Ilene Schwarz did not find out about her son's death until a full day later, after it had appeared prominently in many local news programs. David Schwarz allowed Ilene Schwarz to handle the funeral preparations, but he was never notified about the funeral and burial -- and his name was not included in A.J.'s paid obituary.
It seems that few people in A.J.'s life have had time to grieve for him since his death. Ilene Schwarz and her family are consumed with anger and seeking revenge for A.J.'s death. David and Jessica Schwarz are fighting to regain custody of their two children, who were removed from their home the day A.J. drowned. They are being taken care of by Jessica Schwarz's parents.
''The only thing that is holding me together right now is the anger I have,'' Ilene Schwarz said. ''I promised him, his death well be avenged -- one way or another.''
David Schwarz said: ''Everybody's putting us that we're bad people. We just tried to work, keep the house up, keep the kids happy. ... (A.J.) needed more psychological help than we were able to give him.''

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NO RULING IN 10-YEAR-OLD'S DROWNING
The Palm Beach Post
June 23, 1993

The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office has finished its investigation into the May 2 death of a 10-year-old boy, concluding that investigators cannot determine why he drowned in his backyard pool.
Andrew "A.J." Schwarz's bruised body was found at dawn by his stepmother and father. After child abuse allegations surfaced, sheriff's deputies began investigating.
But medical examiner investigator Doug Jenkins said Tuesday that they could not rule whether the boy's death was an accident, homicide or suicide.

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INVESTIGATING A YOUNG LIFE AND DEATH
Palm Beach Post, The (FL)
August 1, 1993
FRAN HATHAWAY

His name is Terry Neuenhaus. He investigates reports of child abuse - and sometimes, death - for the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services in Palm Beach County. He has the authority to remove children from their homes if he thinks they're in danger. He is 48, married, with two children. He earns $21,000 a year.
* It was Sunday, May 2, at 2:18 p.m. when Terry Neuenhaus got the call. A child was dead. It was the third time he had received such a call.
How does it feel? Well, the adrenaline starts. You feel sad about the death. You feel apprehensive because you know it's going to be a more intensive effort than the average case.
Mr. Neuenhaus' wife, Denita, works as a real estate broker and wasn't home that day. Mr. Neuenhaus usually spends Sundays with his children. After the phone call, he had to get a sitter.
Then he left his home in Tequesta, arriving at his office, 301 Broadway in Riviera Beach, at 2:55 p.m. Program operations administrator Joanne Weisiger was there. She had taken the original call from the child-abuse registry, then called Mr. Neuenhaus. It's not unusual for people to be in the office on Sundays.
We're always around. We put in a lot of overtime that isn't paid.
About 6 that morning, the bruised and naked body of 10-year-old Andrew J. Schwarz had been found in his family's above-ground pool in Lantana's Concept Homes neighborhood. A.J., as he was called, was a third-grader at Indian Pines Elementary School. But neighbors said he rarely played outdoors. Often, he was seen with bruises.
A.J.'s parents, Jessica and David Schwarz, found the body. They told police that A.J. had been asleep when they went to bed the night before. Later, police records would show that officers had been called to the house 14 times during the past three years for various problems - battery, petty theft and trouble with neighbors.
Sitting down at his desk, Terry Neuenhaus checked his computer to see if HRS had any information on the people involved. He contacted the person who had reported the death. The person had nothing new to add.
Palm Beach County receives about 6,000 abuse reports each year from the abuse registry. Investigators have 30 days to investigate them. In Mr. Neuenhaus' office, two units of six child protective investigators each cover a territory from Tequesta to Forest Hill Boulevard in West Palm Beach and west to Loxahatchee.
Each investigator averages a caseload of 15 active cases. Each gets two to three new cases every day - sometimes more. Lately, the two units handle about 180 cases a month.
You try to use the triage system and deal with the more serious cases first. About 60 percent of reports are unfounded, so you can't take the information in an allegation as fact. But initially, you don't know that. You have to spend as much time on unfounded reports as any other.
Mr. Neuenhaus telephoned Lt. Chris Calloway, his counterpart in protective services at the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. They arranged to do a joint investigation. Lt. Calloway is a detective in the juvenile division and, like Mr. Neuenhaus, an ex-Marine. They decided to meet at a school near the Schwarz home to compare notes before interviewing the parents. Then they went to the Schwarz home.
No matter how heinous the case, I try to treat people well because I know we have a bad reputation. Some people seem more concerned about HRS investigators than about abuse.
David Schwarz, a truck driver, is away from home for long periods. A.J.'s stepsister Lauren Cross, 10, and half sister Jackie Schwarz, 4, live with their parents. Paula, 13, Mr. Schwarz's daughter from a previous marriage, lived with them until she was moved to a foster home.
The father and stepmother denied abusing A.J. While Mr. Neuenhaus questioned them, he was mentally evaluating the household and whether the children were safe there. It didn't take him long to decide they weren't. The investigators talked to the family for two hours. They took the two girls into custody.
When you go to a house, you have to assess the situation quickly. You don't decide to remove kids frivolously. It's a last resort. No investigator goes out with the idea of taking somebody's kid. When a child is removed, it's for their safety, and that's the only reason.
Mr. Neuenhaus returned to his office. He arranged for shelter for the girls for the night. Since he would have to appear in court early the next morning for a hearing on whether the girls should stay in foster care, all paper work had to be completed before he went home. For the next couple of hours, he typed the information from the investigation into the computer. He also tried to contact other people, such as relatives.
It was 10:30 p.m. when he finally got home. He was tired, but sleep wouldn't come.
You think about the case. It takes a while to get back down. You think about going to court the next day, knowing that in cases like this, there will be TV and newspaper reporters. Everybody's emotions will be high.
* On Monday, May 3, Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Howard Berman presided at a shelter hearing to determine whether the two girls should be held in state custody. The judge's duty is to protect the interests of all parties - parents as well as children - and he granted a 72-hour period to gather more information in the case.
Terry Neuenhaus went back to his office and to a new set of child-abuse reports. But it proved to be a ``light day'' in his unit for such reports. Usually, he receives eight to 10. This day, there were only three.
The reports come in from people concerned about kids. Most of the time, the HRS investigator is the first person on the scene.
One call reported that a 2-year-old was barefoot and alone in the middle of a street. Police officers were going up and down the street, knocking on doors, to find a parent. That happens regularly, Mr. Neuenhaus says. Sometimes, it takes hours to find a parent.
A second call reported a parent screaming, ``I'm gonna kill the kid!'' The child's head was covered with welts and bruises.
A third call reported that a parent was selling crack cocaine in his home while the children were there.
Terry Neuenhaus discussed the sad case of A.J. Schwarz with other investigators in his unit.
You find yourself talking about it with them because you need an outlet for your emotions. I guess you're also looking for reassurance that you've done everything right. They're a good support system.
* On Wednesday, May 5, HRS asked Judge Berman to extend the state's custody of the two girls. Judge Berman ordered the girls to stay with their grandmother.
* On Monday, May 10, officials said that a second autopsy on A.J., performed by a Georgia physician, agreed with the first autopsy performed by Palm Beach County Medical Examiner James Benz. Despite the bruises on the body, they said the cause of death was consistent with drowning.
* In the week after his death, details about A.J.'s life emerged. Neighbors said the boy was sometimes punished harshly. Once, he was told to trim the lawn with a pair of household scissors. Another time, he was awakened before sunup to collect aluminum cans. He told a neighbor he'd be ``sent to jail'' if he didn't return with enough cans.
Jessica Schwarz shrugged off the stories. A.J. was simply fooling around, she said. He had emotional problems and often acted erratically.
But other information about the family lent them credence. In November 1991, A.J. and his sister Paula had come to live with their father and his wife after Paula accused the ex-husband of their biological mother, Ilene, of sexually assaulting her. In February 1992, Paula was returned to foster care after she told school officials that she'd kill herself if she had to return to the Schwarzes' Lantana home.
Later that year, Ilene Schwarz won custody of Paula. In April, Ilene Schwarz said she asked a judge for an emergency hearing to get A.J. back. The request was not granted. Juvenile proceedings are not public record.
There's more in police rec-ords, such as incidents of drunkenness and violence. The final report on A.J.'s case is expected any day. No charges have been filed.
* What happens now? If the investigation confirms child abuse, the case is public record after 10 days - provided the family doesn't protest, HRS official Nancy Lambrecht says.
If it's not confirmed, the case is closed for 50 years.
* Even a glimpse into the world of a child protective investigator is enough to make one marvel that people can cope with such an emotionally draining job day after day.
I don't think the public appreciates the work that goes into it. It's not an 8-hour-a-day job, no way. I'd say everybody puts in an extra day's work every week. Overworked and underpaid. That's a big gripe with all of us.
What makes it more difficult is that some people regard the investigator as a Simon Legree of social work, an ogre with a clipboard bent on taking their kids away.
On the other hand, like planes that don't crash, less is heard about the deaths that are prevented. They don't make headlines. But they're what it's all about.
You get a sense of satisfaction when you make a difference in a kid's life. Lots of times - especially when a kid's the same age as mine - you look at the child, see the horrible conditions, realize what the child's been through, and you know you've saved that child's life. I like the work. Fran Hathaway is an editorial writer for The Palm Beach Post.

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