Last year, there was a very sad report about a 14-year-old boy who committed suicide by jumping into the frigid waters of the East River, and his mother suggested it was because of school bullying. Now the Daily News reports that the Administration for Children's Services had been investigating a charge that the boy's mother had choked him and beat his brother with a belt.

Last March, Sidney Hatchett and his 6-year-old sister were walking to school when he took off his coat and said good-bye before jumping into the water. A commenter named "His Mother" wrote a few comments on our post about Hatchett's suicide; here's an excerpt of one:

"I just wanted to say that my son was not depressed. He was tired and fed up. My son was happy and fine the weekend before and the days I let him stay home that week he was just fine...My son was bullied in the Neighborhood University High School, and when he started to fight back the counselour in the school started to harrass him. The last straw for him was that she called asc on the 1st my son and I found out on the 2nd and he was gone on the 3rd."

However, the News got a hold of a number of documents that show Davis was reported for abuse and neglect numerous times, 6 of which were substantiated (including "using 'excessive corporal punishment' that resulted in 'lacerations, bruises, welts'"). At one point, an ACS lawyer recommended removing Hatchett and his siblings from Davis in 2004, but the case workers never did anything and "a supervisor closed the case without giving services to the family."

Last August, a few months after Hatchett's suicide, the state recommended that children be removed from Davis once again, but they are still living together. Davis told the News, "I know I didn't hurt my son. I know my son was fine with me."

A series of early 2006 deaths of children whose families were being investigated by ACS prompted changes at the agency, including hiring retired detectives to help case workers. But children (whose parents are being monitored by ACS) are still dying.