The Horrifying Story Of Logan Marr
This is based on a true story reported by Frontline.
Logan Marr, a five old child, died tragically at the hands
of her foster mother, a former CPS Worker.”
Her death led to the state of Maine reexamining policies in place about child welfare; Logan died on 31 January 2001 in the basement of her foster mother in Chelsea, Maine. Sally Schofield was the foster mother and a former caseworker in the Department of Human Services (DHS). According to some sources, she was a
highly valued member of DHS. She was later put on trial and convicted of manslaughter for the death of Logan Marr. The police determined that Logan died from asphyxiation when she was bound with duct tape and tied in a high chair.
CPS removed Logan from her birth mother, Christy Marr, in august 1998, and since then, she has lived in three foster homes before her death.
Christy was a teenage mom, so she had to move in with her mother, Kathy Baker when she gave birth. The two didn’t have a healthy relationship and fought over how to raise Logan. In May 1996, Kathy made the first contact with the DHS; she told the department that she had concerns about the baby’s safety. According to CPS intake records, she told them, “Christy is too immature and troubled to be a good parent to Logan,” and “Christy can’t or won’t put Logan’s needs before her own.“
Diane Sanborn, a case worker, was sent to assess the situation. Despite Kathy’s claims, Diane didn’t find anything that raised a concern about Logan’s safety; she did, however, advise Christy to work on the seemingly unhealthy relationship she had with her boyfriend, an alleged drug user. Christy had to live under the strict rules of CPS to keep custody of Logan. The department should clear any individual or boyfriend that had access to the apartment, and she needed to cut off ties with her mom because of their troubled relationship. Her mom had married Mitch, a man who the department had been falsely informed, had been convicted of sexual assault of a teenage girl. Christy was told by CPS to stay away from her mother and Mitch or lose custody of her child Logan, even though they were misinformed about Mitch’s supposed criminal record.
A Neighbor Calls DHS on Christy
Christy did her best to follow these rules, but she didn’t have a lot of people to turn to for emotional support, and inevitably, she returned to her mother. One day, Christy left Logan with a babysitter at her mother’s house. At this time, Mitch was not living with Kathy, but that day he came back. A neighbor called the DHS and immediately intervened under the premise Christy had failed to protect her child. When Christy found out they were coming, she fled to Boston. She soon realized it was futile to run, so she returned home to Maine the same day. Logan was subsequently removed from the home and placed into foster care. She was two and a half years old at the time.
With a second child on the way, Christy had to prove to DHS that she had mended her ways. She was determined to get Logan back and keep her second child too. The department came up with a new plan for Christy; to cut off all ties with her mother and attend counseling, ie. parenting classes and one on one. When Bailey was born, Christy moved into her apartment after living in a group home. Christy’s efforts to stay away from her mother Kathy gave assurance to the case worker, and Logan was returned to her after several months. Christy, longing for some connection, searched for her father, who was living in Florida with his new family. Her father had an ugly divorce; Christy previously accused him of molesting her, but later recanted her statement. By then, he was alienated from the family. Christy and her girls moved in with her father, and for a while, things were good. Logan was happy and thriving. Unfortunately, they had to move back to Maine with Kathy when her efforts to make things right with her father failed. Christy met Paul, a fellow with a questionable past. Apparently, he was a convicted felon. The DHS reopened Christy’s file and a new case worker Allison Peters was assigned.
A Court Order to Take the Girls
Allison went to Christy’s house unannounced with a court order and two police officers and took the girls to a new foster home. That was the last time Logan would ever live with her mom. The second foster mother, Mary Beth Anderson, had difficulty dealing with Logan, who was having trouble understanding why she wasn’t living with her mother.
Logan was four years old then, and she had seen a therapist five times that month. The tantrums became too much after an incident between the two (Logan and Mary Beth). The DHS decided to move the girls to another foster home. Sally Scofield, the DHS worker, began thinking of being an adoptive parent. She had two boys and wanted a girl, but the department rules don’t allow its workers to adopt a child from the system. Sally was determined to raise a baby girl. In early September 2000, the girls were living with Sally, and the DHS cut back on
Christy’s visits to her children. By now, Christy had lost all hopes of getting back her girls. Sally provided Logan with things that her mother couldn’t, but Logan wasn’t happy. She was angry, and the rage worsened after Christy’s visit. During those visits, Logan said she didn’t like Sally, and she handled her roughly. CPS was aware of these complaints and did nothing to investigate one of their own. Christy
felt helpless; she was told not to interfere by the DHS.
By January, Sally quit her job, and DHS finally gave the
go-ahead for the adoption process, despite the warnings that she was having trouble with Logan.
Christy wrote a letter to her girls and wanted to give it to them on her next visit since she knew it would be hard getting them back. They never received it because of the snowstorm. And that night, Logan died in the basement.
According to Sally, Logan was having one of her tantrums, so she asked Logan if she wanted to scream, and Logan said yes. Sally said, “OK, well then, let’s put you someplace where you can scream.”, so she put Logan in the basement and taped her to a chair, taping her mouth shut. Sally said she went to check on Logan occasionally, but later she found her on the floor, and she wasn’t breathing.
Logan was pronounced dead after being rushed to the hospital; Sally Schofield was found guilty of manslaughter after the police investigated. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence. Allison Peters, the case worker, testified but was never held accountable for why she didn’t respond to Logan’s complaints about being treated roughly by her foster mother, former DHS Worker Sally Schofield.
Bailey went to her third foster home after Logan’s death. Christy fought with the DHS, and in February 2002, Christy got her child Bailey back for good.
