MA Child Advocate Details DCF Involvement With Worcester 4-Year-Old And Her Family Before Her Death

WORCESTER, MA — The Office of the Child Advocate released a 65-page report on Wednesday morning, following an investigation into DCF’s involvement with a young girl and her family before she died in 2024.

The report states that Worcester police found 4-year-old A’Zella Ortiz bruised, malnourished, and unresponsive on Oct. 15, 2024. Her six-year-old sister and two-year-old brother were also severely underweight, dehydrated, and had multiple injuries.

A’Zella was pronounced dead at the hospital, while her siblings required extensive medical intervention. The home on Severe Street also had drug paraphernalia and a firearm within reach of the children, according to the OCA report.

Ortiz’s cause of death was ruled to be multiple blunt force injuries from an unknown mechanism, and the manner of death was ruled to be homicide.

Her father, Francisco Ortiz, is in jail and facing criminal charges in connection with his daughter’s death. He is facing charges of murder, improper storage of a firearm, and three counts of permitting bodily injury to a child and reckless engagement of a child, the report states.

DCF served the family for a total of three years and eight months due to allegations of neglect by the children’s parents, Francisco Ortiz and Krystal Romero.

However, the DCF closed the case because they believed the family was living in New York, which was nearly a year before A’Zella’s death. Information gathered after A’zella’s death confirmed that the family was in Worcester at the time, according to the report.

The OCA determined that further investigation into the case was warranted to determine the circumstances regarding DCF’s involvement with the family and whether the services provided to them were adequate, appropriate and in accordance with policies and laws.

Here were some of the findings outlined in the report:

• Although the DCF case management team made strong, diligent monthly efforts to meet with and engage with the family, the team didn’t have a comprehensive understanding of the strengths, dynamics, and needs of the Romero Ortiz family.
• During DCF’s involvement, there was an increase in risk to the children.
• The DCF case management team, though intended to provide support to the family, did not alleviate the initial concerns that brought the family to its attention or the additional problems that developed over time.
• There are mirror patterns in other cases.

OCA highlighted several recommendations for policy, practice and quality assurance improvements to DCF in its report. You can read the full report here.

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