TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Kansas Department for Children and Families is now required to release records following a child's death.
On Tuesday, state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 336, which in part states Kansas DCF shall release a child's name and age, date of death, and a summary of the facts surrounding the child's death.
Kansas DCF was subject to several 41 Action News investigations where children were left in unsafe homes after having contact with the agency.
Many of those children died as a result of abuse.
Adrian Jones, 7, was one of them.
On several occasions, Adrian told social workers his dad and stepmom would beat him. It was documented that Adrian had a black eye at one point. He told police his stepmom was the one who gave it to him.
Adrian's body was discovered in a livestock pen in November 2015.
Last year, the body of Evan Brewer, 3, was found in a makeshift coffin at a Wichita home where he lived with his mother and her boyfriend.
Evan's file shows Kansas DCF received hotline calls from people reporting the little boy's abuse. The calls were never followed up on.
The agency rarely releases information to the public in the wake of tragedies like the ones involving Adrian and Evan.
Now, within seven days of a child's death, the agency must release the child's information.
The bill also requires Kansas DCF release any reports of abuse or neglect received by the agency, along with its findings.
