Sheriff to review policies after child death

Pinellas County Sheriff's Office to review policies after death of child placed in foster home

Published On: Jan 25 2013 08:20:52 AM EST
CLEARWATER, Fla. -

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office will review its internal policies after a 5-year-old girl died in foster care about a week after investigators removed her from her home.

Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Thursday that Elizabeth Holder didn't received a medical screening within the 72-hour period after removal as required by law. The death remains under investigation, so it's unknown whether a screening would have saved the girl.

The sheriff's office reports that deputies found the girl walking around a Clearwater mobile home park unsupervised Jan. 11 while her mother appeared to be under the influence of prescription drugs.

Investigators removed Elizabeth from her home and placed her with a foster family. A babysitter was watching the girl Saturday when she began yelling that her head hurt. She collapsed and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.