Child death sparks state to take over Bertie County DSS, family speaks to WITN

BERTIE COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - The state is taking over child welfare services in Bertie County again after the death of a child previously involved with the Bertie County Department of Social Services, and now that child’s family is talking to WITN as they’re left with unanswered questions.

Donta Valentine is still in pain after his 2-year-old daughter Jamie Drain died unexpectedly last December.

“She was just the smile of the day, she’s real loving, she was loving, and I just want to know what happened to her,” Valentine said.

Jamie was previously involved with the Bertie County Department of Social Services, and now, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced it’s taking over the county’s child welfare services.

The change in leadership, taking effect Friday, comes after the state began looking at the county’s services in December following the death.

The family rallied together outside the Department of Social Services on Friday, as they hope to get some clarity as to what happened.

“It’s really been hectic trying to find out answers, trying to find out what’s going on, why the baby is dead, like what’s really going on,” Jamie’s stepmother, Christine Blount, said.

DHHS says its concerns were magnified after looking into how the county operated child welfare services, and it’s not the first time. In 2022, the state took over the county’s child welfare services for about two years because of major concerns it found.

Now, it’s happening again.

“It’s just a whole lot going on and nobody is trying to tell me anything,” Valentine said.

According to a release sent to WITN, DHHS staff will be on site during this period, working closely with county staff to manage and stabilize child welfare services.

This is the fifth time the state has taken over a county’s DSS, and the first time a county DSS has been taken over twice.

Valentine is still grieving, but also fighting for justice. He says he hopes that with the DHHS taking over, more might be revealed about his daughter’s sudden death.

“They won’t give me any paperwork, no medical records, no autopsy, they won’t give me nothing,” Valentine said. “It’s a lot of questions that I need answers to.”

WITN has reached out to the county as well as the Department of Social Services, but has yet to hear back. According to Sheriff Tyrone Ruffin, Jamie’s death is still an active investigation.