The biological dad of a young girl who was murdered and kept in a freezer by her adopted mom has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Board of Child Care of the United Methodist Church and the District of Columbia. Michael Muhammed is suing the them for $75 million.
His wrongful death complaint accuses the defendants of failing to protect his daughter from Renee Bowman by neglecting to conduct a background check before allowing her to adopt the little girl. Bowman had a criminal record and a history of financial problems that Muhammed says should have disqualified her as an adoptive mom. His complaint says the District hired the adoption agency to conduct the check on Bowman.
Bowman is charged with the deaths of Muhammed’s daughter Humble and another child she had adopted. She is accused of killing them and storing their bodies in a freezer for at least a year. The bodies were discovered in September 2008 while police were looking into child abuse allegations involving Bowman’s third daughter, who had bruises on her body.
This was not the first time someone had reported Bowman for possible child abuse. In 2003, child protective services was contacted over concerns that Bowman was abusing one of her kids. The Maryland Department of Human Resources investigated another child abuse complaint against Bowman in January 2008 but there was no evidence to support that claim.
If you believe that someone else’s negligence caused your loved one’s death, you may have grounds for a Washington DC wrongful death lawsuit. Even if defendant did not directly cause your loved one’s death, the person or entity may have contributed to it.
Grieving Father Sues Church and DC, Courthouse News Service, November 5, 2009
Earlier Claims Of Abuse Investigated Against Renee Bowman, WUSA9, October 2008
Cops: Md. Mom Kept Dead Kids in Freezer, ABC News, September 29, 2008
Related Web Resources:
Board of Child Care of the United Methodist Church
Wrongful Death, Justia