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DHS letter draws ire
By Nolan Clay
Oklahoman
Published: May 18, 2008
The state Department of Human Services sent a grieving mother a notice that her family should get counseling, apparently not realizing the children already had been murdered by their father.
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Michelle Thorson told The Oklahoman she was flabbergasted.
"I couldn't stop crying because I wish that DHS had made their decision that my children were not safe with Dustin before they died and not 22 days after their deaths,” she wrote in an e-mail. "I was distraught, angry and in complete disbelief.”
Michelle Thorson's children died Feb. 25 in a tragedy that received widespread publicity. Paperwork accompanying the notice is dated March 19.
The envelope was postmarked March 26, Michelle Thorson wrote.
The notice was sent to her old address, the murder site, then forwarded to her in Illinois.
A DHS worker recommended "that the family participate in services with Tinker Air Force Base Family Advocacy.”
The worker reported that DHS investigated a Feb. 1 referral and confirmed child neglect. The notice identified the perpetrator as the children's father, Dustin Thorson, who committed suicide shortly after killing his son and daughter.
Staff Writer Nolan Clay
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