Archives of the Mayor's Press Office

MAYOR GIULIANI HONORS ACS CASEWORKERS AND POLICE OFFICERS
WHO FOUND MISSING 11- MONTH-OLD GIRL WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Administration for Children's Services (ACS) Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta today presented Certificates of Recognition to two ACS child protective specialists, a caseworker from Louise Wise Services, and three police officers for their excellent work in locating a missing 11-month-old baby girl who suffers from cystic fibrosis.

Those honored in a City Hall ceremony included ACS Child Protective Specialists Mamiedee George and Andrew Blake; Louise Wise Services caseworker Victor Harte; and Police Officers Anthony Ruiz Pena, Kevin Owens and Sergeant Frank Markowitz.

The baby girl, Diana Mena, had been missing since May 19th after the child's mother, 16-year-old Dahiana Mena, left her foster care home in Brooklyn with the baby and failed to return. Concern was raised because the baby suffers from cystic fibrosis, an incurable hereditary disorder that requires medication and monitoring.

Mayor Giuliani said, "Everyone who was involved in locating Diana should be commended for their extraordinary dedication and quick thinking. Without proper medical attention, Diana's life was truly in danger. This incident highlights the heroic work being performed every day on behalf of children in New York City by ACS staff and many other City workers."

ACS Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said, "I want to congratulate everyone who was involved in this very difficult search for a child who really was in considerable danger. But I want to especially call attention to the excellent casework and commitment exhibited by the ACS child protective specialists, who worked tirelessly and often well into the night to learn the whereabouts of this vulnerable child and get her the medical attention she required."

During two weeks of searching and contacting relatives and friends, ACS caseworkers and personnel from Louise Wise Services developed a number of leads that led investigators to Creston Avenue in the Bronx, where they were assisted in their search by the 46th Precinct. The child protective workers developed more information earlier this week by circulating photos of the mother and daughter among Creston Avenue residents and contacting the baby girl's 19-year-old natural father.

On Saturday afternoon, June 9, ACS Child Protective Specialist Andrew Blake, accompanied by the police officers, went to the apartment of the baby girl's paternal grandmother and aunt on Creston Avenue. The aunt first denied that the child was in the apartment. Following an explanation by Blake of the seriousness of the child's medical condition, the aunt led them to a bedroom where the baby was found. EMS then removed the child to Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital, where she was examined and admitted. She is in stable condition and will remain in the hospital for approximately two weeks for further monitoring and testing.

The child's mother is still missing but ACS is gathering further information on her whereabouts.

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that affects mainly the lungs and the digestive system. In the lungs, where the effects of the disease are most devastating, CF causes increasingly severe respiratory problems. In the digestive tract, CF often results in extreme difficulty in digesting adequate nutrients from food. While the disease is incurable, there are treatments that ease the effects of the illness.