The Tragic Story of Josiah Gishie

In a tragic story that we wish we did not have to report, we are finding out that state child-welfare investigators visited the home of a one-year-old a week before his death in July.

Josiah Gishie was killed just one month after returning to his mother's home after spending his first year of life in foster care. He was put not foster care at birth because his mother, Donielle King, had methamphetamine in her system during her pregnancy.

Mother's History with Department of Child Safety

Tragically, Josiah's mother, Donielle King, has had multiple encounters with the Department of Child Safety over the past six years, primarily related to incidents involving Josiah's older siblings, who are now in foster care. On July 10, an investigator from the DCS visited their home in response to a complaint about one of the other children's open sores, but no mention of Josiah was made in the report..

Investigation Following Complaint of Open Sores

On July 10, just one week before Josiah's death, a DCS investigator visited the home, but the report does not mention Josiah. The investigator was there in response to a complaint about one of the other children having open sores.

Josiah was found unresponsive on a mattress when his mother returned from work. She said she was relying on a babysitter to care for him, but they never showed up.

In this case, who is to blame? Is it DCS? Is it the juvenile court or the Foster Care Review Board?

This could be a case of wrongful death. At Lorona Mead, we investigate many types of cases in which someone is killed because of the negligence of another person. If you need a Phoenix wrongful death attorney, you can count on us to be there for you.

The Cases

Wrongful death occurs when someone else's negligence, willful act, or wrongful act causes the death of another person. This can cover a wide range of incidents, but we want to talk about a few ways these cases can originate:

• If a person is struck by a commercial vehicle that had mechanical issues or had a driver who was negligent
• If a person is struck and killed by a drunk driver (bartenders and servers who continued to serve someone after they are visibly impaired can also be held liable if that person causes harm.).
• If a person is struck by a distracted driver (text messaging, watching videos, etc.).
• If pedestrians or bicyclists are struck by drivers who were not paying attention.
• Due to Medical mistakes, which can include misdiagnosis, wrong medications, surgical mistakes, etc.
• When people use faulty products. This can include ones that are poorly designed, have manufacturing errors, or are labeled improperly.

These are not the only ways in which wrongful death cases originate. Anytime someone else's negligence causes another person to lose their life, they can be held liable. Families should be able to find closure after the loss of a loved one.

What You Can Do

If you have lost a loved one due to someone else's negligence, Lorona Mead, wants to help. We will investigate your case and work with you to secure the compensation you need for closure. This includes funeral and burial expenses, loss of future income, as well as pain and suffering damages. When you need a wrongful death attorney in Phoenix, you can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling 602-388-1025.