Slain girl's family says Cleveland school should've notified them sooner of her absence
/ CBS News
Lawyers for the family of a Cleveland girl who was abducted on her way to school and later found killed have sued the teen's school, claiming staff there never told the family she was absent — a notification they say might have saved her life.
The body of Alianna DeFreeze, 14, was found in a vacant house Jan. 29, 2017, three days after her mother called police when she realized the girl had never shown up to school. Christopher Whitaker, 45, a registered sex offender, was convicted in 2018 of abducting and raping the girl and fatally stabbing and bludgeoning her. He was sentenced to death and awaits execution on Ohio's death row.
Alianna, who had a developmental disability, was last seen getting off a city Regional Transit Authority bus on her way to school around 7 a.m. the morning of Jan. 26, 2017.
As she was walking away from the bus stop, Whitaker started following her, and ultimately forced her into the abandoned home, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit claimed the school, E Prep & Village Prep Woodland Hills, never notified the girl's family she hadn't shown up until her mother called around 4 p.m. that day because the girl didn't arrive home.
The suit said the family was signed up to receive text message alerts from the school, including about unexcused absences, and had expected they'd be notified if the she was absent.
The lawsuit also said school officials should've been immediately concerned because of Alianna's developmental disability and because it was uncharacteristic of her to miss school. It said the school's failure to notify the family delayed the family in reporting the girl missing to police, and prevented investigators from launching "an immediate and possibly life-saving search for Alianna."
The delay "significantly and materially lowered the chances of the police finding Alianna alive," the lawsuit read.
The lawsuit alleged because of the school system's negligence, the last hours of the girl's life "were spent in excruciating, paralyzing, debilitating and unthinkable physical and mental pain."
The lawsuit also claimed the school system lied when they said they had attempted to send an alert through their text message notification system, but it failed.
Operators of the school told The Associated Press they can't comment on the lawsuit and they've tried to be supportive to Alianna's parents since her death.

Authorities have said Whitaker's DNA matched evidence from the slaying. Whitaker told investigators he was high on cocaine and blacked out.
Whitaker apologized to the family during his trial's penalty phase.
"There is no excuse for what I've done," he said.

First published on January 30, 2019
© 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Cleveland family says school should've flagged slain girl's absence sooner
Alianna DeFreeze, 14, was abducted on her way to school; her family is suing because they weren't notified about her absence quick enough
updated 9M ago
Pence to rally support for Venezuela's Guaidó in Miami
The vice president will give a speech to members of the Venezuelan exile community
updated 25M ago
"I hope y'all find peace": Texas inmate says before execution
Robert Jennings received lethal injection for killing Officer Elston Howard during a robbery part of a crime spree in July 1988
updated 36M ago
Rand Paul awarded more than $580K stemming from neighbor attack
Kentucky jury awarded $375,000 in punitive damages and $200,000 for pain and suffering, plus $7,834 for medical expenses stemming from the 2017 incident
updated 45M ago
Undocumented worker fired by Trump Org will be guest at SOTU
The woman invited by New Jersey Democratic Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman was fired by Trump Organization
1H ago
Pence to rally support for Venezuela's Guaidó in Miami
The vice president will give a speech to members of the Venezuelan exile community
updated 25M ago
Undocumented worker fired by Trump Org will be guest at SOTU
The woman invited by New Jersey Democratic Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman was fired by Trump Organization
1H ago
Virginia governor under fire for comments on late-term abortion bill
A bill proposed in Virginia would qualify more women for abortions in the third trimester
1H ago
Medicare for All emerges as first litmus test in 2020 Democratic race
The debate over the specifics is shaping up to be one of the defining policy battles of the campaign
1H ago
Additional troops to be sent to the border
An additional 2,000-3,000 troops are expected to be sent to the U.S.-Mexico border to guard against illegal immigration
2H ago
Gov't cites "avalanche of evidence" in El Chapo trial closing arguments
Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman faces multiple drug and murder conspiracy charges that could land him in jail with a life sentence if convicted
1H ago
Trump suggests "intelligence people" should "go back to school"
The president's bristled at conclusions from his own intelligence agency leaders that don't match up with his own
2H ago
Venezuelan leader responds to protests with military show of force
One protester said they've had enough of an oppressive regime under President Nicolas Maduro
2H ago
Ariana Grande's Japanese tattoo is a fail
Hope she likes BBQ
3H ago
Dutch church's 97-day marathon Mass wins refugee family a home
Hundreds of clergy volunteered to keep the service going for months, using an obscure law to shield an Armenian family from deportation
8H ago
CBS All Access' "Twilight Zone" reboot gets premiere date
"Twilight Zone" fans can soon enter the fifth dimension all over again
2H ago
Persons of interest sought in alleged Jussie Smollett attack
Smollett told police he was attacked by two white men early Tuesday who allegedly yelled "this is MAGA country"
1H ago
The Beatles' historic final concert held on rooftop 50 years ago
By the time they performed, it had been more than two years since their last live show
2H ago
How to watch the 2019 Super Bowl
The New England Patriots will face the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta in Super Bowl LIII — here's everything you need to know
3H ago
Ariana Grande's Japanese tattoo is a fail
Hope she likes BBQ
3H ago
Despite privacy concerns, Facebook posts record earnings
The often-maligned social-media giant shows it can still bring in new users and hit new highs for profitability
2H ago
Facebook paying teens for info on their phone activity
Facebook disputes report that practice has been "secret "and constitutes "spying" on participants
14H ago
Chicago is expected to be colder than Mount Everest base camp
It's also set to be colder than the South Pole
Jan 29
NOAA responds to Trump's climate change skepticism with a cartoon
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tweeted increasing winter storms are a side effect of global warming
12H ago
Earnings week for Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon
High-tech giants in Wall Street spotlight as investors look for signs that explosive growth is holding up
Jan 29
Med school under fire for using live pigs in training
A physicians' group claims Brown University's medical school violates the law by using live pigs for training in emergency medicine
3H ago
FDA "asleep at the switch" on vaping, report says
The FDA is failing to protect America's youth from the dangers of tobacco and e-cigarettes, a new report from the American Lung Association says
5H ago
Anti-vax movement fuels measles outbreaks, expert says
Dozens of children who weren't vaccinated have gotten sick, and the outbreak is spreading
7H ago
Drugmaker doubles recall of infant ibuprofen
Some batches found with overly high concentrations of the drug, with infants especially vulnerable to adverse effects
10H ago
Court to hear arguments over Ohio law banning abortions due to Down syndrome
The law's defenders argue it is a limited restriction intended as an anti-discrimination measure
13H ago
Despite privacy concerns, Facebook posts record earnings
The often-maligned social-media giant shows it can still bring in new users and hit new highs for profitability
2H ago
U.S. Steel earnings lag despite boost from tariffs
Slowing growth in China and around the globe is weighing on steelmaker's financial results
3H ago
Elon Musk's "difficult year" warning for Tesla: He wasn't kidding
CEO Musk warned of a “very difficult” road ahead, and sure enough, electric-car maker's earnings reflect the sentiment
2H ago
Trump Organization says it will use E-Verify to check workers' status
A dozen immigrant workers at the Trump National Golf club were fired earlier this month, they claimed, after workers at another Trump club alleged that the club hired them knowing they were in the U.S. illegally
6H ago
Crafts retailer Michaels is closing Pat Catan's stores
Nation's biggest arts and crafts retailer shuttering 36 stores in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and West Virginia
6H ago
Cleveland family says school should've flagged slain girl's absence sooner
Alianna DeFreeze, 14, was abducted on her way to school; her family is suing because they weren't notified about her absence quick enough
updated 9M ago
"I hope y'all find peace": Texas inmate says before execution
Robert Jennings received lethal injection for killing Officer Elston Howard during a robbery part of a crime spree in July 1988
updated 36M ago
Rand Paul awarded more than $580K stemming from neighbor attack
Kentucky jury awarded $375,000 in punitive damages and $200,000 for pain and suffering, plus $7,834 for medical expenses stemming from the 2017 incident
updated 45M ago
Gov't cites "avalanche of evidence" in El Chapo trial closing arguments
Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman faces multiple drug and murder conspiracy charges that could land him in jail with a life sentence if convicted
1H ago
Persons of interest sought in alleged Jussie Smollett attack
Smollett told police he was attacked by two white men early Tuesday who allegedly yelled "this is MAGA country"
1H ago Original Article