State's top child welfare official: FLDS children have broken bones

Set inside the Senate chambers of the historic Austin Capitol, lawmakers sat underneath chandeliers with lights in the shape of the famous Texas star. Experts discussed CPS case loads, retention of workers and many other topics, including the capacity of the state's foster care system, which the Senate chair of the committee described as "already strapped."

"Clearly, the events taking place in Eldorado will have an impact on all the issues we discuss today," said Sen. Jane Nelson.

The senator asked lawmakers to reserve specific questions about the Eldorado investigation to private conversations with Cockerell and his staff.

Cockerell's testimony also focused on the relationship between women and children at the complex. Children were taught to refer to all women at the ranch as "mother," and the women shared maternal duties — right down to breastfeeding one another's babies, he said.

Women removed from the compound did everything they could to stymie the investigation, Cockerell said. "Conducting an investigation with children and their mothers was extremely difficult."

Early in the investigation, DFPS workers placed three types of wristbands on the women and children in an attempt to sort them out, but the women tampered with the wristbands by removing them or rubbing the wording off of them, Cockerell said.

He said they also have reason to believe some of the children do not have parents living at the Eldorado ranch.

Getting an exact count of the number of pregnant underage girls was impossible because women pressured the girls not to take pregnancy tests, Cockerell said. Children also were encouraged to lie about their names and ages, he said.

CPS officials believe that of the 53 girls believed to be between the ages of 14 and 17, more than 30 have children, are pregnant, or both. Six of those girls have two children, and two have three children.

Cockerell acknowledged that the call that prompted the investigation, supposedly from a pregnant 16-year-old girl with an abusive husband, "may not be valid," but said that the state still conducts investigations if there is an allegation of abuse or neglect.

The commissioner described examples of workers bonding with the children and attempts to make them comfortable in the makeshift shelters. He said a train was brought into the San Angelo Coliseum to transport the children around the facility and to a nearby football field to play.

"It's interesting to see a state trooper in uniform playing kickball with children," he said. "I saw everyday examples of adults caring for children and relating to them."

The children suffered an outbreak of chicken pox shortly after they were removed, but the infection was spread before the children were placed in shelters, Cockerell said.

Two boys who have turned 18 since being placed in state custody have chosen to stay in the foster facilities with the others. Meisner said it isn't unusual for a teenager to "age" out of the system but choose to remain in state care while they continue their education.

"We have transitional housing programs and many other programs to help them and make sure they are armed with the skills to make it on their own," she said. "Texas has done a lot in this area."

Cockerell also told the committee that case workers will only be assigned a maximum of 15 FLDS children each to oversee. Most case workers are assigned more children than that.

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Contributing: Amy Joi O'Donoghue, Nancy Perkins, Aaron Falk

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E-mail: bwest@desnews.com