Columbia, SC (WLTX) - Lexington County court records obtained by WLTX.com show the South Carolina Department of Social Services had at least 2 complaints on the Jones family.
The most recent complaint, received August 7, 2014, was still open when deputies learned the 5 Lexington County children were missing. The complaint alleged some kind of abuse done by the father to his children.
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Caseworkers with Lexington County DSS responded to the Jones home the same day of the complaint according to DSS Law Enforcement Liaison Jackie Swindler.
"A seasoned Lexington County caseworker along with the Lexington County Sheriff's Department interviewed the children, interviewed Mr. Jones, interviewed neighbors," Swindler said. "At that time, there was nothing to alarm them immediately, nothing that showed the children were in any kind of imminent danger or peril."
Swindler said caseworkers had not made a second visit to the Jones home since their initial visit after the August 7th complaint.
Lexington county caseworkers had scheduled an unannounced second visit according to Swindler. He wouldn't give details on why the second visit didn't occur after the children were reported missing.
State law says caseworkers have up to 45 days to investigate the home, and could visit the home a second time during that investigation. Lexington DSS was within a 45 day limit.
Court records from the Jones' divorce also say DSS was called on the children's mother back in 2011.
More details on the family's involvement with DSS are expected to come in a case file the agency said it would release sometime Wednesday.
