The Misery Machine - The Case of Jarrod Tutko Jr.

Episode Date: August 7, 2025

When police entered the Tutko home, they were met with a scene of unimaginable horror. Jarrod Tutko Jr., a 9-year-old boy with disabilities, had died alone in a locked, filthy room—his body left to decompose for days while his parents continued life as usual. In this video, we uncover the shocking details behind his tragic death, the disturbing neglect he suffered, and the chilling aftermath that stunned the nation...Support Our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/themiserymachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠PayPal: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.paypal.me/themiserymachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join Our Facebook Group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.co/DeSZIIMgXs?amp=1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: miserymachinepodcastTwitter: misery_podcastDiscord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/kCCzjZM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#themiserymachine #podcast #truecrimeSource Materials:https://www.reuters.com/article/world/uk/pennsylvania-couple-handed-long-sentences-in-sons-starvation-death-idUSKBN0TZ1LH/https://dauphin.crimewatchpa.com/da/310/post/jarrod-kimberly-tutko-sentenced-lengthy-prison-terms-death-their-9-year-old-sonhttps://www.dauphincounty.gov/docs/default-source/district-attorney/grandjury/report-3---eighth-grand-jury.pdf?sfvrsn=41ab5f5e_1https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/dhs/documents/docs/publications/documents/child-fatality_near-fatality-reports/2014/Tutko_Death_080214_C.pdfhttps://dauphin.crimewatchpa.com/da/310/post/five-year-anniversary-death-jarrod-tutko-jrhttps://www.pennlive.com/midstate/2014/09/coroner_jarrod_tutko_jrs_remai.htmlhttps://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/contests/mother-and-father-of-jarrod-tutko-jr-charged-with-criminal-homicide/521-e2c7ee23-83cb-41cd-8d10-8dd04fafb3f1https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/parents-charged-in-death-of-son-found-in-home/67529/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/08/05/pennsylvania-father-hides-his-9-year-old-sons-death-from-family-for-four-days/https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/contests/coroner-starvation-dehydration-were-factors-in-death-of-jarrod-tutko-jr/521-2ca5cdd2-bcf4-47c7-894f-dab5af83970chttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/133772033/jarrod-n-tutko

Content warning. This video is about a sensitive topic involving loss of life. We've removed any graphic content to comply with YouTube's guidelines. We aim to provide informative, factual journalism on a tragic event in the public interest that is not dismiss its seriousness. All clips are used under the doctrine of fair use for news reporting and analysis. Jared Nicholas Tutko Jr. was born on October 5, 2004 at Shore Memorial Hospital in Summers Point, New Jersey, to parents Kimberly Tutko and Jared Tutko Sr. Jared Jr. lived with five siblings, some of whom will be referred to using their initials during this story.

According to Kimberly, Jared Jr. had serious mental disabilities and was very hard to manage. Allegedly, he would tear up the floor and carpet in his room, spread his feces on the walls and floors, and refused to wear a diaper. Jared Jr. was officially diagnosed with fragile X syndrome. in August of 2005, a genetic condition known to cause developmental delays.

Both Kimberly and Jared Sr. had been under the radar for a while when Jared Jr. was born. For Kimberly, it started as early as 1993. There was a case filed against her with the Schuylkill County Children and Youth Services. The report involved her oldest child from a previous relationship. A child who was only six months old had suffered two head injuries within a short period of time. Kimberly's rights of that child were later terminated, and soon after she gave up her parental rights to her other children from that same relationship. After that relationship ended, Kimberly married Jared Sr. Still living in Pennsylvania, she had two more children. The daughter named B-T, born on August 31st, 2000, and a son named A-N-T, born on September 15th, 2001. However,

the Schuylkill County, CYS had concerns about unstable housing. The family was constantly moving, and the children were not getting the medical care they needed. It was noted that on April 24, 2002, Kimberly made a phone call to the Dauphin County CYS, complaining about the Schuyl County CYS being involved with their family. October 15th, 2002, there was supposed to be a court hearing about removing BT and A&T from their care, but the hearing never happened. Kimberly and Jared Sr. moved out of Pennsylvania before the court date, so Scuylkill County closed the case. Later, Jared Sr. told the Dauphin County caseworker that they had moved to New Jersey in 2002 because their lawyer told them Schuylkill County was about to take their children. Once the family relocated,

the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services was contacted by Schuylkill County on October 11th. Scuyl County informed them about the open case and the missed court hearing. They also noted that Kimberly and Jared Sr. were not cooperating with the safety plan and had refused to give permission for their records to be reviewed. At the time, Jared Sr., Kimberly, and their children were living in a hotel. Police checked in on them and the children appeared to be safe to them. That specific referral was closed, but over time, New Jersey's DYFS received other reports about poor parenting and the parents not following medical directions. Kimberly and Jared Sr. soon had another daughter known as ART on August 11, 2003. However, records show that after being hospitalized

for seizures, ART was not given her required medication process. Her parents didn't bring her in for follow-up visits either. Her father had reduced her medication dosage even though the pediatrician told him not to. After another emergency room trip in September of 2004, DYFS removed ART from the home but later returned her to her parents' care. After all of these cases, neither of Jared Jr.'s parents had a stable life at the time of his birth, because of which, the hospital was asked to delay his release to his parents. He was placed in foster care after his hospital discharge and stayed there from October 12th to October 18th, 2004.

In 2005, Kimberly and Jared Sr. moved from New Jersey to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Neighbors in that area said they hardly ever saw the mother outside their house. One neighbor remembered seeing Jared Sr. slap one of his sons who was so thin at the time that his ribs were visible. Jared Jr. returned to live with his parents until July 3rd, but by June 20, 21st, UIFS opened another case on him. A home nurse helping the family became worried that he wasn't gaining enough weight and might not be getting properly fed. And nine months old, his weight was dropping.

The nurse told the doctor that Jared Jr. weighed 14 pounds, two ounces on June 30th. By July 1st, his weight dropped once again. By July 3rd, he weighed just over 13 pounds. At that point, the doctor called the family and said Jared Jr. needed to go to the hospital. Jared Sr. said they didn't have a car. The doctor suggested calling an ambulance. He refused and hung up the phone. Jared Jr. was admitted to Shore Memorial Hospital on July 3rd through D.YFS intervention.

He weighed 13 pounds, seven ounces when he was admitted. For the time... Own it all. Pay off your home. Travel for life. Drive a Ferrari. In celebration of the world premiere of the Monopoly Big Board Buckslot machine by Aristocrat Gaming, Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is giving one person a $1.6 million. dollar dream package, the biggest prize in Yamava's history.

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They were worried the family wasn't getting the same kind of support in Pennsylvania as they had in New Jersey. Dauphin County decided not to investigate the report, saying they didn't have enough information about where the family was living. The next time the family came to the agency's attention was on January 9, 2008. Steele Elementary school staff submitted a report about BT, the oldest daughter, who was seven at the time. The report said B.T. had poor hygiene and often looked dirty. She said she was scared of her father and claimed her mother touched her inappropriately. Her teacher said Jared Sr. called every week and came off as intimidating. The other child, A.N.T, told the school staff his dad was scary like a monster. The case was open for investigation and was supposedly completed by February 8th, 2008. But according to grand jury testimony, none of the documents from that investigation were filed,

and they couldn't be found. So the outcome of that case is unknown. Another referral came in on February 3rd, 2010, again from Steele Elementary School. Court documents referred to this child as DT, but I think this is a mistake in that they are actually referring to B.T. was one of Jared Jr.'s older sisters. The reason we believe this to be the case is because after he was born, his parents had two more daughters. One was born in 2008 and another in 2011. Only Jared's sister BT would make sense to be the one referred to by an elementary school because she was the only sister who was in school at the time. The other two children have never been referred to by their initials and court documents, and one wouldn't have even been born yet at

the time of this referral. Also, I know all these children these initials are confusing, but we're not going to name these surviving children. All other official sources have also redacted their names. And furthermore, the goal should be to protect these children's identities. I know there are plenty of cases where the media names all the surviving children or that one of the surviving children was in the spotlight for some reason, but the goal should be to protect these children's identities. And I'm glad the media has not named these children either. That said, when we have a case that has a ton of abbreviated names or aliases, we will have a who's who up on the screen multiple times throughout the video so you can better follow along. Now, BT was hearing impaired and used sign language.

She had a fever the day before, and when the school tried to contact her father to pick her up, there was no response. Next day, BT still... You thought this was your run club era. Turns out, it was more of a thinking about run club era. The good news? Someone's marathon training is about to start. Sell your workout gear on Deepop. Just snap a few photos and we'll take care of the rest.

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Simple. Earn at least five cents a gallon in rewards, then redeem them later for up to a dollar off every gallon. Now here's where it gets complicated. Oh, wait, it doesn't. It's as simple as downloading the ARCO rewards app to get started. Class dismissed. Savings of up to $1 per gallon redeemable with $20 rewards dollars in your loyalty account. At participating locations, terms and conditions apply. I had this fever. When asked if her dad had done anything, she signed the word slap. She seemed upset. and school staff were scared to send her home. The agency assigned a caseworker to look into it.

February 8th, the caseworker went to the school and spoke to BT with help from a teacher who could interpret sign language. B.T. didn't share anything and didn't say whether her dad or anyone else had hurt her. A few days later on February 12th, the caseworker went back to the school to talk to A&T. He said he didn't know anything about his sister being hit. He did mention that their younger brother, Jared Jr., sometimes got his hand smacked, but said there was no other physical discipline. February 18th, the caseworker made a planned visit to the family's home on Green Street in Harrisburg.

During that visit, she saw BT and ART. Kimberly said ART had severe brain damage from a seizure back in 2007 and was now confined to a hospital bed at home. The caseworker noted that BT showed behavior similar to what she had seen before in children with autism and suggested Kimberly take her to a doctor for evaluation. Kimberly also explained in regards to BT's feet, that BT had felt better the next morning, that she had checked her temperature at home and it was normal, so she sent her to school. Before closing the investigation, the caseworker wrote in her report that she still needed to observe Jared Jr. Kimberly said he was at a friend's house. There's

no record showing whether the caseworker checked every room in the home that day. The next day, February 19th, another caseworker went back to the house. This time they saw Jared Jr., who appeared clean and had no visible issues. The report said he seemed slightly mentally delayed, but they didn't feel that there was any concern. Based on that, the agency closed the investigation. December 9th, 2010, Dauphin County, CYS got another report about BT. The person making this report said BT had been showing up to school dirty for the past year or more and often wore the same clothes for several days. Despite this, the agency did not investigate this report. It was marked as information only. The caseworker passed it along.

to a supervisor. Nothing else was documented about this report. It's also unclear whether the caseworker reviewed any of the earlier referrals or was aware of the family's history with child services in New Jersey or Schuylkill County. Ryan Reynolds here for MintMobil. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same premium wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities.

So do like I did and have one of your assistance assistants to switch you to MintMobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do at mintmobile.com slash switch. Up front payment of $45 for three-month plan equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. Seeful terms at mintmobile.com. Then on October 23rd, 2013, a new report came through Pennsylvania's Childline. According to the report, one of the children told the person making the referral that it was ongoing family violence at the home between his parents. He said he often got dragged into their arguments and felt pressure to choose sides. He explained that whenever he sided with his mother, his father would

yell, curse, and get in his face or even hit him. The child said his father would pick fights with him and used him as a target for his anger, though he couldn't say exactly when these things happened. He admitted to wanting to run away on October 21st because of all of the fighting. He said that when his dad found out, he went off on him. The child didn't report any injuries or pain, but he said he was scared to tell anyone what went on at home because he thought his dad would hurt him. A caseworker was eventually assigned to investigate. On October 24th, she visited the home and told the parents she needed to see all of the children. In response, Jared Sr. went upstairs to the third floor. About 15 minutes later, he came back down carrying Jared Jr. to the second floor.

His head was wet. When asked, Jared Sr. said the boy had poured iced tea on himself. Later, on October 31st, the caseworker met with ANC at his school. He was 12 years old at the time. He told her that the iced tea story wasn't true. He said that Jared Jr. had feces all over himself from his diaper and that their dad had been trying to clean him up. He added that his dad didn't care about Jared Jr. anymore. As the caseworker continued looking into the family, she learned several things that stood out to her.

Both parents were unemployed and stayed home with the children. The family would mostly survive on government benefit checks which were being received monthly. A&T didn't have a bedroom or even a bed. He slept on the living room couch. He also said that his dad would punch holes in the walls during fights. The caseworker saw patched up areas in the walls and confirmed with both parents that Jared Sr. had done this before. A&T also said his dad smashed phones during fights. Kimberly denied it, but Jared Sr. confirmed that it happened.

Caseworker also found out that both A.R.T. who was 10 and Jared Jr., who was 9, were not enrolled in school at all. During a home visit on November 1st, the caseworker asked both parents to sign release form so she could access the kids' medical records and talk to their doctors. Kimberly got upset and asked why those were needed, saying, this is how things get twisted. She insisted she took the kids to the emergency room when they were sick, then through the release forms and started yelling at the caseworker. She asked if she should get a lawyer. Either she nor Jared Sr. ever agreed to let the agency see their children's medical records. Family became more and more difficult to work with for the caseworker. At one point, an emergency meeting was held at the agency.

They were adamant about getting Kimberly and Jared Sr. to agree to a family plan. When asked how serious she thought this situation was, caseworker rated it a nine out of ten. The plan included trying again to get the medical release form signed, making sure the two school-aged children were enrolled in school, checking with Schuylkill County and New Jersey agencies about past involvement with the family and contacting law enforcement about any DV reports. They also decided to assign a different caseworker to take over. They thought that assigning a male caseworker from a rural background, similar to Kimberly and Jared Sr., might help. helped get better cooperation from the family. Carson Johnson, who was a high-ranking official at the agency,

later testified that the new caseworker had a completely different take on the family situation than the first case worker. This new caseworker didn't seem to share the same level of concern. There was no discussion between the old and new workers or their supervisors about why their views were so different, or how they were supposed to even resolve that. Even though the first case worker wasn't handling the case anymore, she did visit the home again with a new caseworker during the handover.

She also wrote up a full report summarizing everything. Despite knowing all of the concerns, this new caseworker and his supervisor did not follow up to make sure that the children were enrolled in school. They also couldn't get the parents to sign the medical release forms, which meant the agency had no way to check whether the children were really getting the care that they so desperately needed. They continued making visits to the home. They saw the children during those visits and also checked in with BT at her school.

During one visit, the supervisor again asked Kimberly to sign medical releases. She refused but said they could look through. As the Krispy Chicken sandwich from 7-Eleven, people always call me loud. And I'm like, yeah, I know. I'm crispy. Did you expect me to whisper? If you want quiet, go eat some soup and reflect. Like, I know I'm a handful.

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house at a third floor. Because they never got access to the medical records and couldn't verify anything the parents were saying, the agency decided to close the case on December 20th, 2013. They also never followed up with the school district to see if the two children who weren't in school had ever been enrolled, even though they had asked the family to do so. On January 21st, 2014, Hershey Medical Center made a call about ART. She had been admitted to the hospital a few days earlier on January 17th. When she arrived, she looked unclean, her fingernails were dirty and not trimmed. She was unable to care for herself and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The family didn't have a car and had several other children at home, but even though they could

have taken the bus, they didn't come visit her at the hospital. ART couldn't speak and needed a lot of medical care. Her hospitalization was for a fast heart rate and a fever, but the hospitalization was for a fast heart rate and a fever, but the hospital staff were still worried. The nurses who had worked with her before refused to return, saying the family was too difficult to work with. The hospital didn't tell a family about the report and made plans to have another nursing service, Central PA nurses take over her at-home care. When the hospital was preparing to send ART back home, they called Kimberly and Jared Sr. They first said they didn't have the right medical supplies to care for their daughter, but the hospital confirmed that they did have those supplies.

Then the parents said she couldn't come home if she needed oxygen, claiming a doctor from St. Christopher's Hospital said it wasn't allowed. The hospital followed up with that doctor and confirmed that ART could safely come home with oxygen. When the parents were told this, they agreed to have her discharged. Between 2013 and 2014, Jared Sr. had been locking Jared Jr. in the front bedroom of the third floor of their house, allegedly to stop him from falling down the stairs. According to him, Jared Jr. was kept locked up because he would throw things when let out. In July 27th, Jared Sr. said he last saw Jared Jr. in the same bedroom.

He did not see his son again until July 29th. Yeah, you heard that correctly. He claimed he locked his son in a bedroom and didn't check on him for two whole days. When he finally did, that is when he found Jared Jr. dead. He said he had tried to resuscitate him. Jared Jr. when he still found him warm. However, Jared Sr. did not tell his wife about what happened. He continued to hide it from her by pretending to check on his son every now and then. He would often use mothball and bleach to hide the smell, but soon Kimberly began complaining about the odor. Jared Sr. then contacted a family-based worker who advised him to call the police. On August 1st,

Jared Sr. finally told his wife that their son was dead and moved Jared Jr.'s body to the floor of their second floor bathroom. At 10.35 p.m., Kimberly called Harrisburg police. They arrived. Kimberly told them what Jared Sr. had told her, that Jared Sr. was primarily responsible for taking care of their son, and she hadn't gone up to see Jared Jr. in his room for many years. She explained that she was mainly responsible for taking care of their very sick daughter, ART, and didn't go near Jared Jr. because she was worried about carrying bacteria back to their daughter who relied on her for everything. However, later on, Kimberly admitted that she saw her son a day or two before he died.

Kimberly spoke to a reporter and explained that when she asked her husband why he never told her their son had died, he admitted he had been too scared to speak up because of the other children in the house. When police entered the front bedroom on the third floor, they saw that the door was shut and with either a towel or a blanket pushed against the bottom. Moth balls were scattered in the hallway just outside. Inside, there was no furniture except for a television that had been bolted to its stand. The walls and floors were smeared with a thick layer of feces, and behind the TV stand, there was a dried pile. Both the light switch and the inside door knob were also covered in human waste.

The light didn't work, and in the center of the room, they found a stuffed rabbit toy in a blanket, both of which were filthy. The room was filled with flies, and the door knob had been installed backwards so that it locked from the outside, making it impossible for someone inside to leave if the bedroom door was locked. On the same day, Jared Sr. was taken into custody in charge with abuse of a corpse and endangering the welfare of children. His bail was set at $500,000. Kimberly had not been charged with anything at this point. She insisted she was not involved in what happened and didn't understand why her. her husband kept it from her. She claimed she asked about Jared Jr. every day and night, checking if he had eaten and how he was doing, was always told that he was fine. However,

on September 29th, 2014, Kimberly was also arrested. This time, the charges included criminal homicide and endangering the welfare of children. Three news, first at bold. Good afternoon. I'm Heather Warner. And I'm Evan Forrester. A Harrisburg mother is charged with criminal homicide after her son was found starved to death last month. The boy's father is also charged with homicide. Yeah, he was arrested when the child was found decomposing in the home several days after his death. Fox 43's Katie Kairos joins us now live at the Dolphin County Courthouse where the district attorney just held a press conference. Yes, both parents of Jared Tucko Jr. are now charged with criminal homicide. The district attorney says they showed extreme indifference to the value of their child's life. Nine-year-old Jared was found dead at his home on Green Street in Harrisburg on August 1st.

He had been dead for several days. His father was charged with concealing the death of a child and abuse of a corpse, and he's been held in Dauphin County prisons since then. The boy's mother, Kimberly Tucker, wasn't charged until today. The charging documents show the child died of starvation and years of neglect. Police say his body and the room he was kept in were covered in feces. The light was broken and the door knob was turned out so that he could never escape from the room. The investigation also shows signs of neglect in the boys' five siblings.

Police say Kimberly Techo had a history of abuse with a baby from a previous relationship years before. They say she lied that she hadn't been up to her son's room in years, but she later admitted she had seen him days before he died. The investigation shows that Dauphin County Children in Youth Services had repeated warnings about what was happening to Jared. Records show the boys' brother told a caseworker what was happening to Jared last October. I'll have more on what he said. and the other warnings that caseworkers received that came to nothing at 5 o'clock. We're live in Harris. I'm Katie Cairo's Fox 43 WPMT. Dr. Wayne K. Ross, a certified forensic pathologist carried out Jared Jr.'s autopsy.

In August 5th, his body was scanned at Penn State Hershey Medical Center. At the time, Jared Jr. measured 42 inches tall and weighed just 16.9 pounds. Dr. Ross confirmed there was no body fat anywhere, which pointed to starvation. He also found clear signs of dehydration and malnutrition. During the exam, dried fecal matter was stuck to the bottoms of his feet, along with strands of blue carpet fibers. His hands and underneath his fingernails also had feces on them. Dr. Ross concluded that the cause of death was starvation and child maltreatment syndrome, with dehydration and malnutrition playing a role. His death was ruled a homicide. The coroner's office also reached out to Dr. Andrew T.

Stewart, a forensic dentist. He examined Jared Jr.'s teeth and found several of them were infected. One tooth had an abscess that had broken through the bone. Two others had open pulp chambers, which would have caused serious pain for anybody, especially a child. Dr. Stewart said the condition of his teeth showed clear dental neglect, that he had likely been in a lot of pain. Investigators tried to find any dental records for Jared Jr. but found nothing. There's no sign that he ever received any dental care. After the police discovered Jared Jr., they were immediately worried about the other children living in the home.

The situation was so bad that they decided to take the remaining children into protective custody. A.R.T. needed urgent help. She was completely bedridden, couldn't move on her own, and needed care around the clock. Her heart rate was very slow and her body temperature was lower than normal. She was taken to Penn State Hershey Medical Center. Dr. Lori Frazier, who led the child protection team at Hershey, described what she saw when ART arrived.

She explained that the girl was 10 years old and had severe brain injuries that left her fully dependent on others. She couldn't eat by mouth and had to be fed through a tube in her stomach. She needed someone to turn her in her bed, bathe her and change her diapers. She couldn't do anything by herself. Dr. Frazier said that ART looked like she was about to go into shock, which could have ended her life. Her heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure were all dangerously low. She was revived and admitted right away.

Dr. Frazier said she had been a pediatrician for 30 years, and she had never seen a child in such poor condition. A.R.T was extremely dirty. Wax from her ears had come out onto her face. Her eyes were sealed shut with dirt and fluids, and her skin had thick layers of filth and scales. Her hair was matted with grime. The only clean area was her diaper, which showed someone was at least changing it, but the rest of her body had clearly not been washed in a long time. When Dr. Frazier first visited her, nurses had already tried to clean her, but after six baths, the smell was still overwhelming. Records showed that she had been to Hershey before, so doctors could compare her weight. In just one year, she had lost about 15 pounds. Since she didn't eat normally,

someone had to feed her a special formula through her feeding tube. That clearly wasn't happening. Dr. Frazier also mentioned that due to her condition, her spine had started to twist badly, pressing up against one of her lungs. Once ART's condition improved, she was also placed with a foster family. Three of the siblings were kept together while the other two were placed with different families. Children had regular sibling visits once a week and on every third Saturday, sometimes more. Children began receiving various services based on their needs and locations. But despite everything, the children are reportedly doing well in foster care and have been able to connect with their older half-siblings through Schuylkill CYS. While looking into Jared Jr.'

death, the grand jury also started examining problems within Dauphin County, CYS. They found the agency itself was struggling with how it was organized and how it handled cases. In March of 2014, just months before Jared Jr.'s started to change how it operated. Before this change, the agency was split into three main parts, intake, in-home protective services, and permanency. Each part had its own director in charge. When someone reported possible CA or neglect, the intake division would get the case first. That department had smaller units inside it, CPS and general protective services. Depending on how serious the situation was, the case would be sent to either the CPS or GPS unit for investigation. CYS finished their investigation and found problems, but the children

weren't in immediate danger. The case would be passed on to the in-home services division. These caseworkers would then work with the family directly. It would make a service plan, help set goals and check in regularly, usually every six months to see how things were going. Based on the progress, they would decide whether to close the case or keep helping the family. On the other hand, if children were removed from their home, the case went to the permanency division. These caseworkers worked not just with the child and the foster family, but also with the biological parents. Their main goal was to help reunite families, but in some cases, when it was clear that going back home would not be safe, It would work on ending the parents' legal rights so the child could be adopted.

In court, both Jared Sr. and Kimberly entered not guilty pleas during their preliminary hearing on December 10, 2014. During the trial, one piece of evidence presented was a photo of the filthy stuffed bunny found in his room. Erica Martelli, former caseworker, remembered it clearly. She said that one cannot forget the feces covered stuffed bunny, knowing it was likely the only thing. source of comfort that Jared Jr. ever had. During the hearings, the judge John Cherry was especially harsh towards Kimberly, saying how we don't even keep animals like that. He also told her he couldn't understand how she let this happen. Kimberly claimed she was being hurt and scared. She said she wished more than anything that her son could come back so she could tell him how sorry she was for not

protecting him. Her lawyer described her as a battered woman, someone controlled and hurt in ways that didn't leave visible bruises. Jared Sr. tried to explain his actions in court, crying and saying his mental health issues pushed him into isolating his son in that filthy upstairs room. He told the court that he was not a monster and that he loved his child and tried his hardest. But even his own lawyer admitted that this was a complete failure in parenting. Prosecutors asked for the highest possible punishment, but the judge gave the couple slightly less time in exchange for their guilty pleas. On October 26, 2015, both parents pled guilty to third-degree murder, two counts of child endangerment, and one count of aggravated assault.

On sentencing day, Jared Sr. went first. Judge John Cherry gave him 21 to 42 years in prison. Once later, Kimberly entered the same courtroom. The judge, sentenced her to 20 to 40 years in prison, told them that they were both equally to blame. Prosecutor, Sean McCormack said that the sentences were fair. He said that the day was about seeking justice for Jared Jr. and his sister, they accomplished that in the only way the system could by locking away the two people responsible for Jared Jr.'s death for most of their lives. After Jared died, no one came forward to claim his body. Following state law, if a body claimed within 10 days, the coroner must arrange for cremation or burial.

Coroner Graham Hedrick said he spoke to Kimberly once shortly after receiving Jared's body, but then didn't hear from her again for at least 19 days. That's when he made the decision to have Jared's body cremated. During their conversation, Kimberly seemed unsure about what to do. She may have been struggling financially and unsure if she could afford a burial, but Horner Hedrick gave her the names of two agencies that help families in situations like this, but he said she never got back to him. He wasn't sure why, whether she was sick, overwhelmed her, something else.

But since no one followed up, he had to move forward with the decision. Jared's ashes were buried along with the remains of other unclaimed people during a special ceremony that takes place at the end of each year. The county holds this event to lay to rest, those who didn't have anyone to claim them. According to an article written by Penn Live, Jared's final resting place was in a potter's field, a cemetery owned by the county near the 911 dispatch center in Swatara Township. However, his find-a-grave page claims that he was buried at the East Harrisburg Cemetery. It's possible that his ashes were interred in one

location and that his memorial stands in another. His glossy black tombstone is heart shaped and simply says, in loving memory of Jared N. Tutko Jr., October 5th, 2004 to August 1st, 2014. It also contains the image of a bunny, much like the stuffed rabbit that served as his only source of comfort. On August 1st, 2019, on the five-year anniversary of Jared Jr.'s death, prosecutor McCormack recalled the day he was called to the crime scene. It wasn't just the horrifying condition of the room that stuck with him. It was how clearly this case exposed the cracks in the system. According to the prosecutor, Jared Jr's death wasn't just the result of his parents' actions.

It was also the result of years of mischances by the child welfare system. The family had been known to CPS across different counties, even across state lines. And still, nothing changed. This is why a grand jury was brought in to investigate what one. went wrong. Their work led to a 122-page report detailing not just what happened to Jared Jr., but what it allowed to happen. It showed the weaknesses of the very agencies that were supposed to protect children like him, and the grand jury offered solid recommendations for how things could change, not just in Dauphin County, but across all of Pennsylvania. Now, five years later,

Prosecutor McCormack believed it was the right time to look back and ask what progress had really been made, had anything actually changed? Did the promises made actually lead to improvements? The grand jury had pointed out four major problems. First, the training for caseworkers was simply not enough. Second, there was a major lack of communication between Dauphin County children and youth services and other outside groups that work with families. Third, the time limit for finishing CA investigations was just 60 calendar days. This was seen as unrealistic and dangerous, a lot of harm could happen within 60 days. Finally, a number of workers quitting and the overwhelming caseloads placed on the ones who remained made it nearly impossible to keep up with everything.

These weren't just isolated problems. Rosiceter McCormack said that these issues kept showing up, not just in Dauphin County, but across the entire state. And if this channel is any reflection, we've seen these problems across the country. That's why, in the weeks ahead of August 1, 2019, he said they would begin reviewing those recommendations again, checking what had changed and what still needed to be done. Because for prosecutor McCormack, for five years, it wasn't just about remembering what happened to Jared Jr. It was about making sure that no other child had to live and die just like he did.