Lindsay’s Legacy

There is no satisfaction in the conviction of Michael and Kathleen Gentry of involuntary manslaughter for the starvation death of their severely disabled daughter. What remains, instead, is the specter of failure.

The Lake Los Angeles couple, who refused a plea bargain after an earlier mistrial, would say the failure lies with the criminal justice system. The Gentrys claimed they were innocent and said their daughter died from myotonic dystrophy, the muscle-wasting disease that crippled and nearly blinded her.

The jury found otherwise, which means, then, that not only her parents but the social safety net failed young Lindsay Gentry.

When she died in 1996, Lindsay was 15 years old and weighed 44 pounds. In her short life she was the subject of at least 15 child abuse complaints, first in Orange, then in Los Angeles counties. Worried teachers brought the bone-thin girl food, monitored her weight and reported their concerns. Social workers investigated but found nothing wrong.

Too late for Lindsay, Los Angeles County prosecutors and representatives from law enforcement, child welfare, courts, public health, schools and other agencies are developing a handbook called the Child Abuse Protocol. The handbook, to be released this fall, spells out how these agencies can better cooperate. It’s the result of a recommendation from a statewide report issued by Gov. Gray Davis’ Office of Criminal Justice Planning. But think of it as Lindsay’s legacy.

Better communication among teachers, social workers, doctors and others might have gotten Lindsay the attention she needed--or her parents the respite they needed. If there is true justice, Lindsay’s legacy--and these new protocols--will help another child.