SOUTH BEND -

An Indiana state senator is now investigating the death of a South Bend baby. Carlin Yoder (R – Middlebury) told WSBT he wants to know if 11-month-old Micahyah Crockett’s death could have been prevented.

Yoder chairs the Department of Child Services oversight committee and said he’s already called DCS about the baby’s death, looking for information about what happened, why a DCS case involving the infant’s older sister, Alaiyah, from 7 months ago was never closed and why someone reported the incident involving that little girl to the DCS hotline.

Tuesday Alaiyah and Micahyah’s paternal cousin said she wishes the children’s mother, Nyesha Crockett, would have asked for help.

“To all the mothers out there having challenges or feel like they’re becoming overwhelmed, it’s not a bad thing to get help,” Martika Binion said.

Investigators say Crockett admits she smothered, kicked and threw her son Micahyah last weekend. According to court documents, when he stopped crying, she played a video game on her cell phone before calling 911.

The baby died Monday.

In February, police say Crockett strangled her then 14-month-old daughter Alaiyah with a scarf. She now has 20-percent brain capacity and is in a vegetative state, according to prosecutors.

Medics and doctors initially ruled that an accident but investigators say Crockett now admits she lied.

In both cases, court documents say Crockett was angry at the father of her children for leaving her home with them. However, police say two other adults were present at the home both times.

DCS says someone called Indiana’s abuse hotline the day medics rushed Alaiyah to the hospital. State laws do not allow DCS to release who made that call or why, but it is part of an up-tick in suspected abuse and neglect reports.

New numbers released by DCS to WSBT Thursday show reported cases of suspected abuse and neglect in Indiana and in St. Joseph County are rising.

In 2011, the state of Indiana recorded 151,442 reports of unsubstantiated and substantiated abuse. In 2012 that number rose to 177,539 and to 187,465 in 2013.

Closer to home, in St. Joseph County, the state registered 2,048 reports in 2011, 5,005 in 2012, 6,985 in 2013 and through the end of this July it registered 4.202 calls.

“I think it’s community awareness,” said Region 3 DCS Manager James Pippin. “I think DCS did a really good job getting in the communities and putting out the hotline number. Prior to the hotline, we had 92 counties, we had 92 different phone numbers you could call. Now there's 1 phone number that connects you to DCS.”

Region 3 includes Elkhart, St. Joseph, Marshall and Kosciusko Counties.

Indiana lawmakers overhauled DCS in 2012 after two high profile deaths, including 10-year-old Tramelle Sturgis who was murdered by his father in South Bend.

The overhaul included a switch from one abuse hotline center in Indianapolis to five call centers throughout the state. It also required trained family case managers with college degrees to take the calls. In the past, people who called the line may have talked to a clerk or a lawyer – not someone specially trained to deal with calls about suspected abuse or neglect, Pippin added.

Yoder said his goal is to have zero incidents like the ones involving Micahyah and Alaiyah, but added, “Some circumstances are what they are. As sad as it may be, that’s the reality.” 

Yoder also said current DCS director, Hon. Mary Beth Bonaventura, is “working with him” to improve the service the agency provides to children.

“[Former] Judge Payne did some good things in his tenure but toward the end it got pretty toxic and kids weren’t getting the help they needed,” Yoder said.

He went on to say changes from the previous administration are still being worked out and changes are not going to happen overnight.

“The legislature is figuring out DCS needs funds to make those changes,” Yoder continued.

If you suspect a child is a victim of sexual or physical abuse or neglect, the state wants you to call its hotline. That number is 1-800-800-5556. Anyone who calls can remain anonymous. But the state says it helps if you leave contact information in case there are follow up questions. 

DCS is expected to hold a news conference Friday morning to talk about its abuse hotline, services it offers and the importance of reporting suspected abuse and neglect in light of Micahyah's death.