Caregivers of an 8-year-old boy — who police say was playing unsupervised in a northeast valley neighborhood when he was struck by a car and critically injured — had been investigated multiple times by Child Protective Services since 2014.
A welfare report released by the Nevada Division of Child and Family Services shows the family was reported several times, with some of those reports alleging abuse or neglect.
The state agency oversees the Clark County Department of Family Services, which wrote the report and conducts child welfare checks. The department handles day-to-day operations in the county, including foster care, adoptions and intake of abuse and neglect reports.
Child Protective Services, which investigates reports of child abuse and neglect in Clark County, is part of the department, according to its website.
Under state law, the Nevada Division of Child and Family Services must write a “public disclosure” when a child dies or nearly dies and is or has been the subject of a report of abuse or neglect. The report is a general summary of the family’s history with a child welfare agency.
The report does not name the child, his parents or the reporting parties. However, the child’s year of birth and the date and circumstances of the crash and alleged neglect match those of a case in which the Metropolitan Police Department arrested parents Mark Ecott, 35, and Aubrey Lambdin, 30, on neglect charges.
Their arrests came after police and Child Protective Services investigated the care of the boy and his three siblings at 4478 Crystal Peak Drive, where prosecutors confirmed the family lived.
The children’s paternal grandmother, who could not be reached for comment, previously said that the children had since been taken to Child Haven, an emergency shelter for children needing foster care placement.
Struck while riding bikes at night, police say
On June 28, the child was hospitalized with critical injuries after he and his 11-year-old brother were struck by a 2011 Hyundai Elantra while riding their bikes at night in the street on North Las Vegas Boulevard near Lamb Boulevard, authorities have said. The crash happened around 9:30 p.m.
Metro said the driver remained at the scene and showed no signs of impairment.
When detectives went to interview Ecott about why his children were alone in the street, they found the man’s front yard littered with trash, including clothing, broken bikes and animal feces, according to his arrest report.
Officers, who along with Child Protective Services workers also searched the interior, described the home as being “in such disarray that it is truly indescribable to put into words” in the report.
At that point, police said, Child Protective Services workers decided to remove the children from the home.
The public disclosure report said the family was first accused of abuse in November 2014. The allegation was found to be unsubstantiated, and the family was not in need of any services, according to the report. Another report of alleged abuse in 2019 was also found to be unsubstantiated.
Five reports alleging neglect were received between 2018 and March. Four were found to be unsubstantiated, while another received on March 24 was “closed as ‘Unable to Locate’” after “persistent efforts to make contact with the adult caregivers and conduct a home visit were unsuccessful,” the report said.
Clark County spokesperson Jennifer Cooper said child confidentiality laws prevent the county from commenting on child welfare cases.
Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com. Staff Writer Noble Brigham contributed to this report.
