Dad of Missing Boy Blames Massachusetts DCF

A 5-year-old Massachusetts boy has been missing for more than three months, but Massachusetts authorities and the little boy’s father in New Britain, Conn., had no idea that Jeremiah Oliver was missing until this month.

Jose Oliver, Jeremiah’s father, said Monday that he places the blame squarely on the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families.

“It's their fault, 100 percent. The reason I say that is if they would have been doing their jobs, this never would have happened,” Oliver said.

Jeremiah lives in Fitchburg, Mass., with his mom, her boyfriend and two siblings. He was last seen on Sept. 14, according to the missing report posted on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's website.

It has been revealed that a DCF social worker failed to check in every month with the family, which is why police had no idea that Jeremiah was missing until his sister reported to a school counselor she was being abused.

Now the social worker, supervisor and program manager have all been fired.

“Because the manager never insured a follow-up to the multiple reports that we have received on child abuse and neglect of the children,” said Olga Roche, the commissioner of DCF in Massachusetts.

Despite receiving call after call reporting abuse at Jeremiah's home, the social worker failed to do anything about it, Roche said.

Jose Oliver said, for him it doesn't matter what actions they take now.

"There's nothing they can do. My son's already missing. What can they do? It's too late," he said.

Jeremiah's mom, Elsa Oliver, and the boyfriend, Alberto Sierra, Jr., are in police custody, accused of child abuse.

Jose Oliver said he's doing everything he can now to gain custody of his two other children who are in DCF care while the search for Jeremiah continues.

"Somebody has to say something. Somebody has to have seen something. I mean, for a person to be missing for three months and nobody knows nothing? Somebody knows something and just speak. I just want my son," Oliver said.

Jose Oliver said he plans to head back to Fitchberg and will join his friends and family once again to search for Jeremiah.

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