The North Carolina House Oversight Committee has summoned Mecklenburg County and state child welfare officials to testify next week following the death of six-year-old Dominique Moody. Moody was allegedly starved and neglected despite previous reports to child welfare officials.

“Dominique Moody was six years old. She weighed 27 pounds when she died,” the committee request states. “That fact should stop every person in Mecklenburg County government cold.”

The request names Mecklenburg County Manager Mike Bryant, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Estella Patterson, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden, Interim DSS Director Leticia Loadholt, and NCDHHS Division Director Lisa Cauley among those called to testify.

House Majority Leader Brenden Jones, R-Columbus, who chairs the House Oversight Committee, requested testimony during an upcoming June 4 committee hearing.

The request cites a corrective letter from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), which found that four out of the five reports involving Moody’s guardians met the definition of abuse or neglect, but were “screened out with no further assessment of the children’s safety.”

“Simply put, Mecklenburg County failed Dominique Moody,” the committee wrote.

According to the committee, NCDHHS also found that contacts were not frequent enough to ensure safety, CPS history was not reviewed, significant collateral contacts were not made, and inaccurate case decisions resulted in “no services being provided to ensure the safety of the children.”

“That is not a bad judgment call. It is not a paperwork mistake,” the committee request states. “It is a child protection system failing at the one job that matters most, protecting children.”

The committee also points to broader findings from NCDHHS beyond Moody’s case. According to the request, NCDHHS reviewed 122 unrelated CPS reports and assessments and found a “broad, systemic lack of appropriate safety planning.”

The committee’s request includes 15 written questions for county officials to answer before the hearing. The questions center on when Mecklenburg County leaders first learned of reports involving Dominique Moody’s family, when they became aware DSS had received prior reports, what actions were taken after Moody’s death, and whether any employees have been held accountable.

The final question asks: “Why should the General Assembly have confidence that Mecklenburg County can correct these failures without further State intervention?”

The hearing comes as lawmakers are already considering legislation named for Moody. House Bill 1144, the Dominique Moody Safety Act, would make changes to North Carolina laws governing abuse, neglect, and dependency cases involving juveniles.

The bill’s primary sponsors are Reps. Carla Cunningham, U-Mecklenburg; Allen Chesser, R-Nash; Frances Jackson, D-Cumberland; and Donny Lambeth, R-Forsyth.