Chandler Grafner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The story of seven year old Chandler Grafner is among the most notorious of child deaths in Colorado history, so tragic it led to a governor‘s review of child abuse. How does a child, locked in a linen closet with a litter box for a bathroom, starve to death, even as caseworkers have been assigned to watch out for him, and multiple people including school officials have called to warn authorities he was in trouble? The case is notorious not only for the horrific way Chandler died, but because two caseworkers assigned to look out for him have been sued in civil court by his mother. The case is ongoing.

 

 

Chandler spent much of the last year of his life in the bottom of a linen closet that was 35 inches wide and less than 18 inches high. He weighed 34 pounds when he died May 6, 2007, from starvation and dehydration. Chandler‘s elementary school reported to Denver County Human Services that the little boy had not been at school for a month. Supervisors at the child abuse division did not assign an investigation saying there were no allegations of abuse or neglect. He was dead a month later.

 

Arapahoe County child protection workers first learned of Chandler in 2004, when they determined as “unfounded” an allegation that Chandler and his brother were neglected. The caller said that four year old Chandler was not potty trained and was still drinking from a bottle. In 2005, Denver County determined as “unfounded” an allegation that the boys’ mother, Christina Grafner, was smoking around her child who had asthma. Later that year, Chandler and a three year old neighbor were found walking along a busy street alone. This time, Christina Grafner was charged with child abuse and received one year of probation. In all, there were at least eight “referrals” to child protection workers alleging abuse or neglect.

 

The boys, appearing hungry and neglected, were taken into protective custody in 2006 after their mother was arrested for driving while high on drugs. They ended up with Chandler‘s former stepfather, Jon Phillips, and Phillips’ girlfriend, Sarah Berry. Phillips and Berry are now in prison after Chandler starved to death in their filthy closet. The supervisors who handled the case and were sued by Chandler‘s mother are still employed at Denver Human Services.  It makes me sick that this little boy had to die because everyone failed him.

Sarah Berry was sentenced to 48 years in prison Monday for second-degree murder. Phillips was convicted of first degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole.
 

 

 

 

http://childfatalities.denverpost.com/#id=20&name=GrafnerChandler