NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — She was only a couple weeks away from her second birthday when Ariel Rose was found dead Nov. 11. Now on the day family laid her to rest, Ariel’s grandfather Mickey Rose says the Department of Children Services failed his granddaughter.
“They need to tear down the Department of Children Services and rebuild it,” Rose said.
He says DCS should have acted sooner to take custody of his grandchild away from her parents who struggled with substance abuse.
He says he called DCS multiple times after he found a video on social media of Ariel and her parents living in the Brookmeade Park homeless encampment back in March.
Once the child’s parents checked into rehab is when Mickey says Ariel bounced around multiple homes before she landed at the same rehab facility her father and grandmother stayed.
Not long after is when Metro Police say Ariel was found at the facility, unresponsive with no signs of trauma or abuse.
Police are now investigating Ariel’s cause of death, but Ariel’s uncle Michael Rose says he’s convinced his niece would have been better off in DCS custody.
“DCS failed her because she should have been taken out of that encampment on day one. They should have placed that child in the state’s custody. Maybe the state’s custody is not the best. It’s not what a child wants, but she would be alive,” Michael said.
DCS offered this statement the following day:
"It is the practice for DCS to petition the court when parents cannot care for their children and they are not safe. The court must then determine custodial matters. By statute, DCS cannot identify people who report child abuse or neglect nor can we release information regarding past involvement with families. However, we can confirm that we are currently working together with the Nashville Police Department to investigate the death of this child."
Michael says Ariel spent two months living in the Brookmeade encampment with her parents.
When we asked why he didn’t take the child in himself, Michael says her parents refused to give up custody.
Michael recalls walking through the encampment to see his niece on one occasion.
“You looked in and there’s trash, feces laying everywhere, tents, blankets, drugs. It was a disgusting sight,” Michael said.
Rebecca Lowe of Reclaim Brookmeade Park, who has been critical of Nashville’s response to the homeless encampment, offered a statement on Facebook reading in part:
“This is not something we wish to sensationalize. Addiction and mental illness are diseases. When the trauma that is Brookmeade takes a child, we must stand up to protect those who can’t protect themselves. Until this city provides the extensive inpatient services that are necessary, “housing first” will suffer and we will fail those most vulnerable, such as Ariel.”
This is a developing story.
