The tragic death of a three and a half year old girl in Watsonville has made headlines the past several days. Isabella Grace Martinez was found dead in a motel room last week. And based on the facts as we know them, she died at the hands of her mother – Veva Virgil - who confessed to police. We’ve also learned from her husband, and others close to the family, that Virgil suffered from some sort of mental illness.

Whether or not mental illness indeed played a role in Isabella’s death is far from determined. But we do know that at some point in the past three and a half years, the state was concerned enough about Veva Virgil’s competency as a parent, that Isabella and her two older sisters were removed from their mother’s custody. Eventually, however, Isabella was returned to her mother, and we know if that had that not happened, this child would still be alive today.

So why was Veva Virgil granted custody of her child? No system is perfect but clearly this is a case where the state’s system for protecting children broke down. Our news team has questioned Social Services workers about this issue, but to no avail. Deciding whether or not a person is competent to care for a child is no easy task and the state rightly has strict guidelines which forbid workers from discussing any case - or even confirming if a case exists. But in this situation, there’s sadly no client left to protect! No doubt Social Services and the courts are working behind the scenes to see what might have been done differently. At least we hope they are. We can’t say for sure because we’ve been getting the silent treatment. Our KSBW Editorial Board believes this case should stand out as a needed exception to their rule. No system is perfect; but the public can only be confident their concerns are taken seriously if they’re addressed openly and in the light of day.