Washington state and school district agree £49.3m payout over boy’s neglect death
Karreon Adams-Franks, a 15-year-old autistic, nonverbal and legally blind boy, died from starvation and neglect in 2020 after years of abuse by his adoptive parents. A social worker visited the home six days before his death, noted that he was very thin, but recorded there was no present danger; the case has prompted scrutiny of how agencies and schools responded to warning signs.
Washington state and the Evergreen School District have agreed to pay Karreon’s estate $49.3 million, shared between them. His parents, Felicia Adams and Jesse Franks, were sentenced to 35 and 30 years in 2023 for his murder and related crimes; Karreon weighed 61 pounds when he died, down from 115 pounds a little over a year earlier. The state agency has since changed its policy to require staff to take photographs when responding to abuse reports.
In short
- Washington state and a school district agreed to a $49.3 million settlement.
- Karreon died aged 15 after years of abuse and neglect.
- A home visit six days before his death found no present danger.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Vulnerable disabled boy, 15, was starved to death by adoptive parents… after social worker who visited six days before wrote that he was in ‘no present danger’”.