Infant dies in county custody

David Kihara

Monday, Nov. 28, 2005 | 9:36 a.m.

A 3-month-old girl in the custody of the Clark County Department of Family Services died last weekend because of a viral infection, officials said.

Family services is conducting an investigation into the death of Genesis Acosta-Garcia to learn the circumstances surrounding her death and determine whether such deaths can be avoided in the future, said Susan Klein-Rothschild, director of family services.

"These kids are highly vulnerable and their medical status is watched avidly," she said.

Acosta-Garcia died at University Medical Center Nov. 19, three days after being admitted to the hospital, said John Fudenberg, assistant Clark County coroner.

Although the coroner's office was informed about the death, it is not directly involved in the case because Acosta-Garcia did not die because of abuse or neglect, he said.

The official cause of death is organ failure due to viral infection, which means Acosta-Garcia died because her body could not fight off a virus infection such as strep throat or the flu, Fudenberg said. The virus has not yet been identified, he said.

Acosta-Garcia is the second child who had contact with the county child welfare agency in a month to die or be seriously hurt. On Oct. 23, a 4-year-old boy suffered severe burns when his father, Raymond John Kesteloot, was siphoning gasoline from a vehicle.

The 4-year-old previously had been placed in foster care because of neglect and possible drug use by Kesteloot.

Acosta-Garcia, who was born prematurely, was removed from her parents' custody on Sept. 26 because of "concerns about the condition and care of the child" and worries that the parents couldn't take care of her, Klein-Rothschild said.

The county first placed Acosta-Garcia into Child Haven, the Department of Family Service's shelter for children removed from their families. Acosta-Garcia then was placed into a foster home, she said.

She could not provide information on the foster family or the birth family, citing federal and state laws that prohibit the release of such information.

David Kihara can be reached at 259-2330 or at dkihara@lasvegassun.com.