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Murdered Toddler's Father Sues State Agency
Posted: Jan 17, 2013 11:24 PM by Mike Manzoni -- mmanzoni@kristv.com
Updated: Jan 17, 2013 11:47 PM
CORPUS CHRISTI -- A father whose son was brutally beaten to death two years ago has filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services and two of its employees claiming they ignored concerns that the child was in danger.
Raul Ruiz's 21-month-old son, Texas, was murdered in January 2011 after his mother's boyfriend, Juan "J.J." Garza, 24, punched the child repeatedly.
In October 2011, Garza was convicted of murdering the toddler and sentenced to life in prison. In December, the Thirteenth Court of Criminal Appeals denied his request for a new trial.
The lawsuit, filed in United States District Court Dec. 31, claims the state agency and two of its caseworkers, Eva Cadena and Angela Arredondo, ignored Ruiz's complaints that his son was not in his grandparents care as ordered by the agency.
The complaint reads: "...CPS created a safety plan whereby Texas would be in the care of Mother's mother [grandmother] and that Mother and Garza would not be allowed any unsupervised visits with Texas.
Lisa Ruiz, the toddler's stepmother, said C.P.S workers knew Texas was not in his grandparent's custody and did nothing despite repeated pleas.
John Lennan, a C.P.S. spokesman, declined to comment.
A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Mar. 22.
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