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Report: Mother should not have gotten custody of two children she then murdered

A Philadelphia woman who suffocated her infant son and young daughter in June was suffering from postpartum depression and should not have been reunited with the children so quickly, according to a review conducted for the city Department of Human Services.

Sophia Hines is accused of killing her two children in South Florida.
Sophia Hines is accused of killing her two children in South Florida.Read moreBroward County Sheriff's Office

A Philadelphia woman who suffocated her infant son and young daughter in June was suffering from postpartum depression and should not have been reunited with the children so quickly, according to a review conducted for the city Department of Human Services.

Sophia Hines, 40, of Frankford, was indicted on two counts of murder in Broward County, Fla., on June 30 and is hospitalized there awaiting trial.

Hines is accused of suffocating her 9-month-old son, St. Leo, and 3-year-old daughter, Ariel, with a bedsheet while visiting a cousin in Florida. She and her husband had regained custody of the children, who had been in foster care two months before.

The Act 33 team, which reviews child deaths in the city, found that the reunification occurred too quickly and without the typical steps taken to ensure the parents are equipped to care for the children. The review meeting took place July 1 and the report was made public this week.

"There was a lot of stuff going on here and no one had really taken a close look at the situation," said Sam Gulino, the city's chief medical examiner and review team chair. "Good social work practice is, you want to make sure you understand, 'OK, we have a mother about to be reunited with her kids. Is she getting proper therapy? Is she OK?'"

The family's case worker at Turning Points for Children, a DHS-contracted agency, did not have up-to-date medical records for Hines, who had been diagnosed with postpartum depression, according to the review. Hines was not given a psychological examination prior to the children's release, and neither parent attended a meeting two months before the children were returned.

"The deaths of the two young children in June are a terrible tragedy that still hangs heavy on all of us," Lauren Nestler said on behalf of Turning Points for Children. "The goal of reunifying families . . . is an obligation we do not take lightly. It is a complex process that requires the input of many stakeholders."

DHS Commissioner Cynthia Figueroa said the agency balances speedy reunification with safety.

In this case, there were no reports of abuse by the mother, who was described in the report as very doting, "holding the children continuously" during visits, which she never missed.

"There's a commitment that kids deserve to be with their families, and there's often pressure to make sure we're moving forward to reunify children," Figueroa said."

In October 2015, 10 days after Hines gave birth to St. Leo, she checked into Einstein Medical Center with the children. She had been living at a domestic-violence shelter and was "overwhelmed" and suffering from postpartum depression, according to the report.

The case was assigned to Turning Points, and St. Leo and Ariel were put into foster care for six months. Hines lived in New York City but made trips home to visit.

A magistrate, designated by Family Court, reunited the family in April 2016, following DHS's recommendation.

The recommendation was based largely on a letter sent by an intern at New York City's social services agency, written at the request of Hines.

The letter was not sufficient to support reunification, the review committee said in its report. The report also said Turning Points should have consulted a DHS psychologist.

Gulino said the case underlines the need for better DHS oversight of the privately contracted agencies, which juggle large caseloads with less experienced workers. His team recommended that DHS add "quality assurance" staff at each community umbrella agency (CUA).

The team also recommended mandatory psychologist consultations in cases involving postpartum depression.

In late May, Hines told a cousin in Florida she wanted to visit because she was "going through things," and took the children while their father was at work.

Hines' husband called repeatedly and begged her to come home. According to the report, Hines told a friend that she was off her medication.

On June 9, Hines asked her cousin to come home. When the cousin arrived, Hines was crying and the children were lying side by side, unconscious, on the bed. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

jterruso@phillynews.com

215-854-5506

@juliaterruso