Charlenni Ferreira limped for at least 2 years from a damaged hip, but her parents resisted having it checked by a doctor.
School nurse urged exam of Charlenni's limp
For at least the last two years of her life, Charlenni Ferreira walked with a limp from a damaged hip, but never complained about the pain, according to a law-enforcement source.
As Charlenni's limping grew more pronounced last spring, Denise McGovern, the nurse at Feltonville Intermediate, Charlenni's last school, repeatedly urged the 10-year-old girl's stepmother to have her examined by a doctor.
The stepmother, Margarita Garabito, who has been charged with Charlenni's death, continually ignored the nurse, and provided a ready, if flippant, excuse - "She limps because she's fat," according to the source.
After Charlenni's death Oct. 21, police discovered that her hip had been fractured. That break was just one of the multiple and painful injuries she endured on a daily basis, according to police, who have called her death one of the worst cases of abuse they have seen.
Garabito, 42, and Charlenni's father, Domingo Ferreira, were charged with murder on Oct. 23. Domingo Ferreira, 53, hanged himself in his jail cell Oct. 25.
Although McGovern was concerned about Charlenni's "gait," the girl never gave any indication that she was being abused, law-enforcement sources said.
McGovern told Charlenni's family to have her hip examined in May and again in September, when Charlenni returned for her fifth-grade year, according to records.
In September, her family did take her to Ramesh Parchuri, a family practitioner in Kensington. He noted that she was anemic and ordered blood work. He said he planned to see her again when the results were returned.
Parchuri also said he did not know that the school nurse was concerned about Charlenni's hip.
Charlenni's family returned a note from Parchuri to the school nurse. The note said Charlenni was anemic but otherwise healthy and able to engage in "full activity," according a law-enforcement source.
McGovern again urged the family to get a more full examination and said she wanted permission to provide Charlenni with physical therapy through the School District.
Charlenni died weeks later, just shy of her 11th birthday.
McGovern never noted anything else wrong with Charlenni, law-enforcement sources said. Charlenni always wore clothing that covered her skin, and the nurse never saw any bruising.
After her death, police discovered a seven-inch gash on her head, stuffed with gauze and covered with a wig.
Once, Charlenni complained to McGovern that she did not want to be sent home for having a fever, but she didn't say why.
That's far different from Charlenni's experience at her previous school, Clara Barton Elementary.
The nurse there, Amy Ozenbaugh, lodged two complaints with the Department of Human Services in 2006 and 2007, reporting bruising and marks on Charlenni's hand and head and cigarette burns on her body, according to records made available to The Inquirer.
Charlenni also complained at that time that she was afraid to go home, according to the records.
DHS hired an agency, Congreso de Latinos Unidos, which provided services to the family for five months. Charlenni was examined by two doctors at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, and was seen multiple times by caseworkers, a psychiatrist, and a therapist, according to records.
Although at least one doctor found some of her injuries suspicious, none of the professionals could substantiate Ozenbaugh's concerns.
Congreso became so convinced that Charlenni was not being abused that a caseworker suggested that the family contact a legal-aid agency "should the school continue to harass the family," according to DHS records.
DHS closed Charlenni's case in 2007 and did not receive any more complaints about her.
Charlenni's school records noted that previous abuse complaints had been lodged and found to be unfounded. The school records did not indicate that the Congreso equated the complaints with harassment.
McGovern and Ozenbaugh both have declined to speak with The Inquirer. The School District would not answer questions except to say a school nurse coordinator "conducted a full review of the steps taken by the school nurse at Feltonville Intermediate School."
"The review is now closed," the School District said in a statement last week.
The investigation into Charlenni's death, which was caused by an infection from untreated broken ribs, is continuing.
She also had injuries indicating she had been sexually abused. No sexual abuse charges have been filed, as police await DNA test results.
Investigators also have subpoenaed the girl's medical and other records to determine how her abuse could have gone unchecked.
Police have described Garabito as Charlenni's primary abuser.
"Every chance that Margarita had to be caught was diverted somehow, someway," one law-enforcement source said. "Whether it was by a doctor or a city agency, there was always some kind of blockade."
Contact staff writer Troy Graham at 215-854-2730 or tgraham@phillynews.com.
