Malinda Hoagland’s half-sisters are advocating for change and reform in Pennsylvania’s child protective services. They seek improved communication between agencies in each of the state’s 67 counties. This push for change follows Malinda’s tragic death earlier this year due to severe abuse.
Emily Lee, one of Malinda’s half-sisters, highlighted the failures in various systems outside the home that contributed to the tragedy. Chester County prosecutors have charged Malinda’s father, Rendell Hoagland, and his girlfriend, Cindy Warren, with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and kidnapping. They allege that the pair tortured, restrained, and starved Malinda for months, leading to her death. At the time of her death, Malinda weighed only 50 pounds.
A recent CBS News Philadelphia Investigation revealed Warren’s history, including a guilty plea to child endangerment in 2009, for which she received a prison sentence. However, this information was reportedly unknown to Chester County authorities.
There were missed warning signs, including a 2020 custody order limiting Warren’s contact with Malinda and a notification from the school district about welfare concerns. Rendell Hoagland claimed that child protective services only contacted him by phone and never visited the house.
Efforts have been made to establish a statewide child abuse database in Pennsylvania since 2014, but it has yet to be implemented. State Rep. Donna Bullock emphasized the need for legislative solutions to prevent similar tragedies.
House Bill 321, which aims to create a central database for child abuse information, has been advanced by the Children and Youth Committee. This bill was proposed in response to the rape and murder of 14-year-old Grace Packer in 2016.
Governor Josh Shapiro expressed the need for a system that allows counties to share information effectively. He emphasized the bipartisan agreement on the importance of such a system to protect children.
Malinda’s family, represented by Alexandria Crouthamel and Tom Bosworth, is pushing for a law that would establish a database, register, or alert system for cases of physical abuse. They hope this will bring peace to their family and prevent similar tragedies in the future.