An Oklahoma man has been charged with first-degree murder for the death of a five-year-old Cherokee boy who was the subject of an Indian Child Welfare Act case involving the Cherokee Nation.
Marcus Isiaah Clancy, 30, is accused of killing Declan Stewart on August 12. Declan was the son of Clancy's girlfriend, Janet L. Stewart, 29.
According to a report from the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth, the state sought to terminate Stewart's parental rights “based on the heinous and shocking nature of the abuse.” But the request was rejected by a judge because the Cherokee Nation supported Declan staying with his mother [PDF].
About five weeks after being reuinted with his mother, Declan died from injuries due to abuse.
Get the Story:U.S. law pushed boy home before he died (The Oklahoman 10/4)
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Hearing scheduled in death of young boy (The Oklahoman 9/29) Relevant Links:
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