CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – Lawmakers are yet again pushing for answers and accountability after a 14-year-old was found dead in what authorities believe was a case of child neglect.

“We need concrete actions and reforms to ensure that such a tragedy is never repeated,” Del. Mike Pushkin (D-Kanawha) wrote in a statement. “It’s imperative that we find out how this happened and implement protections to ensure nothing like this happens again.”

Child welfare has been top of mind for lawmakers after concerns surfaced last year following another child neglect case . The question many want to know: What role, if any, did authorities play in these cases?

Despite efforts to obtain information, three weeks after the discovery of Kyneddi Miller and the arrest of her mother, Julie Miller, there are still more questions than answers.

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are now calling for action due to concerns over the efficiency of the state’s child protective measures.

Del. Amy Summers (R-Taylor), co-chair of the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources, sent a letter to the Boone County Board of Education on Monday requesting more information. She also plans to send a letter directly to the Department of Human Services.

Due to state law, the department has previously stated they cannot release records to the public. However, a law Summers co-sponsored during this past legislative session would’ve changed disclosure rules.

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If passed, House Bill 4595 would’ve allowed closed-door meetings between lawmakers and health officials, permitting another set of eyes on investigations. It passed the House, but not the Senate.

“There’s been confidential information that’s been unable to be shared with the legislature and the media because they’re ongoing investigations,” Summers said back in January when the bill was proposed. “We feel that we need to create a checks-and-balances with the executive branch so that we can hear the status of these investigations and make sure there’s no corrections in the systems that need to be made.”

In a statement released on Monday, Pushkin called Gov. Jim Justice to release a full and detailed report on the circumstances surrounding the death of Kyneddi Miller.

He also urged the governor to put the issue back on the call particularly “Raylee’s Law” which would prevent parents facing child neglect investigations from pulling their children out of public school to be homeschooled.

“We demand transparency, accountability, and action,” he wrote. “The children of West Virginia deserve no less.”

In Justice’s briefing last Wednesday, Cynthia Persily, the Cabinet Secretary for the Department of Human Services, said the department fulfills the federal requirement to report fatalities through their annual critical incident report.

As for state code, she said the department is looking to other states for guidance, particularly for how they disclose information to the public.

13 News reached out to Justice’s office to ask if the issue will be added to the special session call; however, the question still remains.

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