The Baltimore City State?s Attorney?s Office has launched a separate investigation into the death of 11-year-old Irvin Harris.
Office spokeswoman Margaret Burns said Wednesday that the investigation was the result of evidence brought to their attention regarding the boy?s care.
“This is a child welfare investigation, which is separate from the homicide investigation,” Burns said.
Convicted child sex offender Melvin Jones Jr., a friend of Irvin?s family, is charged with murdering the boy, whose body was found Sunday night in Northeast Baltimore. Charging documents alleged that Jones killed Irvin in a jealous rage, sending a text message to the boy that read, “I love you.”
Jones also allegedly visited Irvin at his school. Jones was convicted in 2002 of sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy, and as a condition of his probation was not supposed to be near children at all, a spokeswoman for the Division of Parole and Probation has said.
Burns said the State?s Attorney?s Office is trying to determine if there is any evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
“We are on a fact-finding mission to determine if there was any criminal wrong-doing regarding his welfare,” Burns said.
She said the state?s attorney would conduct interviews of relevant city and state agencies.
“We have a legal and ethical responsibility to report and investigate matters where there are suspicions,” Burns said.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski, who recently introduced legislation to increase funding to track sexual predators, said Wednesday that the Harris case demonstrates the need for more vigilant oversight.
“The Adam Walsh Act, which I co-sponsored, would have prevented Irvin Harris? tragic death,” Mikulski said. “Melvin Jones was convicted of sexual child abuse in 1990; the Adam Walsh Act creates a mandatory minimum of 30 years for that offense.”
