The Tragic Ending Of The Ricky Holland Case

I've been following the Ricky Holland disappearance since the beginning.  It interested me not only because he lived not too far from me but from the adoption aspect as well.  I was puzzled that his case did not receive the national attention many missing child cases do.  America's Most Wanted did a segment and Nancy Grace featured him during her show, Court TV had him featured on their missing children section, but that was pretty much it for national exposure.

I was suspicious about his parents from the beginning.  Ricky had some serious emotional problems and would have been a very difficult child to parent.  To successfully parent him would have taken years of family therapy and unswerving commitment.  Generally speaking, the adoptive parents for children with these problems have special training to learn how to effectively deal with these problems.

I planned on doing a long post about Ricky, but Trish has voiced my own feelings so well already.  Read about it here along with updates.  She's done a great job following this case.

The only other thing on my mind is how on earth the Hollands could have passed a home study and why another adoption was finalized while Ricky was still missing.  I hope someone along the food chain involved in this adoption takes some responsibility.

Comments

[vero]

How very sad. I am always boggled by people who can harm children, and to adopt one and harm him is even worse!

[MrsJoseGoldbloom]

I've heard awful stories about what happens to child abusers/killers in prison...I hope they're all true!

[Opus]

That sad. Lisa, are you following the Entwistle case here in Boston? I assume its getting a lot of press everywhere. How this guy could shoot his wife and 9-month daughter point blank is beyond comprehension. Check of out the arrest affidavit:

http://static.wbz.viacomlocalnetworks.com/~wbz/EntwistleAffidavit.pdf

[babycleat]

I work in the court where Ricky's parents are being tried. I also helped search for Ricky. My heart aches. He is everyone's child now... This case will be receiving national attention later this week. Check nancy grace's show on Thursday.

[Sue]

born and raised in Michigan and traveling in a couple weeks to visit family. I just happened to be checking Det News website and was sickened by the story about Ricky. His beautiful face has striking resemblance to my son, same age. The face of a child says so much. I will never be convinced this child had "severe" behavior issues. This RN sees too much of it, even here in rural Maine. Time to clean up protective services. I must admit though, the smaller the town and the harder you push, the sooner you see results. Here, we push till we see a visit and followup.Is there a place to leave a memorial for Ricky? Please let me know... Prayers for this boy in heaven.

[janet tepolt]

what is really the saddest, is that the state is so desperate to place these kids, that people like the hollands are allowed to adopt them. where was social services when ricky was in need? someone is responsible for allowing him to fall through the cracks. my son has adhd and i am aware of how difficult it is to raise such a child, ricky's parents should have been monitored more closely. the picture of his innocent face just breaks my heart. i will never forget him, and how he went to a neighbors house in search of food. one can be sure that the hollands went to bed satiated every night while ricky went to bed hungry. i am very angry that, unfortunately, this is not the last time a child will be murdered by caregivers. may ricky be up in heaven, running through the fields, laughing and enjoying himself.

[caring]

I thnk of this child all the time, it just is not fair, and it should never have happened.

I hope someone presses charges against the judges, services workers, and anyone else that was responsible for keeping this child in this torture chamber.

Also, people keep saying that he had adhd, but, that was only because of what the mother told the doctor. The school disagreed, saying he had above average intelligence, and didn't see behavioral problems. So what was the problem with taking care of him. I wonder if he was allowed to sneezein their presence.

The school is also to blame, for not communicating with each other and pushing protective services. The social worker and 1st grade teacher should have reported and followed up on the reports to protective services.

More training for school personnel needs to be done. I just can't believe it.

[Lisa McB]

I have been following the story of Ricky Holland myself as well. I believe that the parents are both pure evil. Everytime I read about it, I give my own son a bigger hug.

[Valerie Weise]

I'd like five minutes alone with Ricky's "mother."
--Detroit Truck-Driving Mother of Two Sons

[Sue Tuttle]

Sue from March 30th adds, I will be reading as from Maine as this case goes to trial. Someone keep me posted on this side. Life without parole will never be enough. They are both guilty.

[Sonya Williams]

Wanted to post a candlelight vigil is being held on July 2 in Williamston, one year to the day Ricky was reported missing. We have speakers and music planned.

[Judy Brown]

I have followed this from the beginning and always felt the parents were responsible. This whole case reminds me of the book "A Child Called It" by Dave Pelzer. He was fortunate enough to have lived thru his nightmare and go on to write 2 more books, (that I am aware of). The last one I read was " A Man Called Dave.

[Rick Bush]

I know DHS(formerly, FIA) does these dirty little tricks. An agency charged with supposedly helping people on the fringes of poor. Somehow DHS has it in their collective heads that DHS is not there to help people, but punish them for being poor. This is so if one is Caucasian, why? Because these children are very adoptable. Otherwise DHS does not bother, foreigners, Middle Eastern or Hispanic peoples because they don't want to be charged with racism. Hell it is better to allow an Middle Eastern father to lop off the head of a daughter in Dearborn or how about the at least four deaths of Foster care children in Detroit and finally how about Ricky Holland?

Does anyone know why DHS is such a failed agency? It is because they contract out to private child welfare companies that only have one thought in mind and that is to make money and if they find marginal people to Foster or adopt out children then that is okay. These child welfare companies make money at the expense of the child, to make money these child welfare companies must do marginal inspection and interviews to make money. They don't make money by turning down prospective Foster people. Who cares? Evidently NOT DHS/CPS because if they did we would have less tragedies occur.

In the Ricky Holland case his prospective adoptive mother through a hammer and hit him in the head, went over and whacked him again, then just allowed him to die a insufferable death when she had maybe a chance to have rushed him to a hospital. But maybe she knew what DHS/CPS would do if they found out.

If one really wants to know what DHS/CPS has been doing for the last decade and their cover up, read the following links under this. I know because my sister-in-law is going through the bullshit now. She has two things that DHS/CPS abhorrer's, she is a single mom (her husband passed away) and she dare ask for help in securing "MICHILD". This indicated that she was poor and did not deserve her own child. The idea behind this is to adopt out my nephew. What I have said here can be back up by reading "The FIA Game".

http://www.childprotectionreform.org/policy/trends/Michigan_SCF.htm

http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6260/fiagame.html

http://www.parentsforchildren.net/20fiagame.cfm

http://www.falseallegations.com/michigan.htm

All of these links are current as of October 03, 2006

[Jenna]

My heart aches from the sting of this story. My son is about the same age. I hope BOTH parents get a long long prison sentance. I pray Ricky has found a happier place. I feel haunted by this precious boy. I am so sad for Ricky. I wish I could go back in time and take him in my arms and give him the love he missed out on. Lisa was never a mother and never will be again. Thank GOD!

[Christina]

This is such a tragic thing. I started out only reading this to do a school paper on the inadequate background checks adoptive and foster parents, but this little boy has truly touched my heart. Anyone who has even had thoughts like what this woman had done deserves some type of punishment. I may only be 16 but i do have a one year old daughter and even I, a teenager, is a better mother than this! How would this woman, if you can even call her that, do something like this? It's unimaginable. How would she like it if she was tortured like this? Why don't we just go ahead and find out...don't even waste the space in prison! Anyone who reads this and has children should cherish them, love them, and be so very thankful fof them!

[Kim]

I was a student teacher in Ricky's classroom for several months just before he moved out of Jackson. I knew his foster mother Lisa before I had Ricky in a classroom and I don't believe he was a difficult child to parent. The only thing that made this child any different from any other child his age is that he would steal food. Which I believe is directly related to Lisa Holland starving him. I got to know Ricky and my heart went out to him. I am just sorry I didn't realize how bad it was at home. Everyone would feel sorry for the Lisa because that is what she manipulated them into thinking. I don't think that Ricky was so difficult to parent. I do know that he really was just like any other boy his age. With a little love you would have never know he came from such a horrible life.

[rimidia]

I work where Ricky went missing and put up posters in my office and had my children looking in trees and brush as we drove thru town because lisa said he was "transient" and could very well adapt to his environment and be hiding in trees. Ha! She pulled a fast one on this caring community and we still ache for this child. I am reminded by the song "you cant go home" by Jon Bon Jovi? As a survivor of biological parent physical and emotional abuse and various foster homes and watching my brother get the most abuse, whenever i hear this song i remember as a child you long so for your mother and the thought that she will come back for me cuz she loves me and she will make everything better. it hurts to know that is probably what he wanted and had the common sense to try and save himself by getting his own food or trying to leave such a place and everyone just mananged to hand him right back....how sad we as mothers, friends, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, siblings, and anyone who does care does not follow instinct and react to save a child instead of thinking it will just go away. i have reported child abuse 3 times since Rickys death. 2 were from witnessed neglet or abuse at my office and one with a friend of the family. on 2 occasions the State of Michigan Protective Service hotline did not want to take my report because i was lacking birthdates and complete names of all parties!!! The other they found it to be out of the States definition of child abuse/neglect. I called and asked for a copy of that so called book and it amazes me that we have more Halloween movies than revisions of this in over 3 decades!!!! This state is so behind in how we care for our children. Please continue to pray for those that went to bed hungry today, neglected today, preyed upon today, prayed for an angel today, hoped someone would notice today, cried themselves asleep today and missed out on love today. God Bless.

[Lenore McAuley]

As a former State employee for the state of Michigan in the Department of Social Services I have seen alot, but never anything like the Ricky Holland case.The conviction of Lisa Holland is justice for now;as Lisa is locked up where she belongs.However, now we are left with cleaning up Protective Services system, but not only that, but the whole Department of Human services. I personally know another child that will be falling through the cracks, as many more will because some of Social Services;as workers do not do their job. I have worked there before and saw it first hand. The system needs to be reformed.

[Look at ourselves]

This is everyone's fault from the maternal drug addicted mother and father to the school system to the state to the sadistic foster parents to all of the normal, kind people that could have taken him in and given him a good home and didn't (myself included). We need to look at ourselves and wonder why we don't help these children more than we do. Rickys story sickens me to the bottom of my soul. The sad thing is that her killing him was the best thing that could have happened to him, otherwise he would probably still be there being tortured, starved, beaten and who knows what else. I also hope that both parents get justice in prison. I know that I am looking into becomming a foster parent in the future, perhaps I can help at least one or two children have a happy and secure childhood.

[bobbie]

I worked for the DHS also, and know how many workers just do not do their job. They need to get rid of the ones that don't and replace them with ones that will. They also need to get rid of the adoption/foster care workers that were responsible for placing and keeping Ricky in this home. How can you keep placing children in a home that you know there were reports of abuse and a child was missing in a home?

I believe that there needs to be a lot more training on recognizing child abuse. School staff should have been better trained. I just can't believe they didn't follow through on the reports they made.