The Misery Machine - The Story of Noah Cuatro

Episode Date: June 2, 2023

This week, Drewby and Yergy discuss the case of Noah Cuatro, an adorable little boy from Palmdale, California, who was beaten to death and sexually assaulted at the hands of his parents, who tried to frame his murder as an accidental drowning.  Support Our Patreon For More Unreleased Content: https://www.patreon.com/themiserymachine PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/themiserymachine Join Our Facebook Group: https://t.co/DeSZIIMgXs?amp=1 Instagram: miserymachinepodcast Twitter: misery_podcast Discord: https://discord.gg/kCCzjZM #themiserymachine #podcast #truecrime Source Material: https://abc7.com/noah-cuatro-dcfs-palmdale-child-dies-abuse/6371338/ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/201492933/noah-cuatro https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-08-19/how-dcfs-failures-led-up-to-noah-cuatro-child-abuse-death  https://theavtimes.com/2022/09/30/judge-denies-expedited-trial-date-for-siblings-of-slain-palmdale-boy/ https://childwelfaremonitor.org/2021/09/14/when-ideology-can-kill-the-death-of-noah-cuatro/ https://abc7.com/noah-cuatro-dcfs-palmdale-child-dies-abuse/6565429/ https://bithiahsfamilyservices.org/

Noah Alejandro Quatro was born on August 20th, 2014 in Palmdale, California, to parents Ursula Elaine Juarez and Jose Maria Quatro Jr. The pair met at John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills and had their first son when Ursula was 18 years old. Noah was born two years later, followed by a daughter and another son. From very early on, the couple had already racked up a long history with social services. In fact, L.A. County DCFS had their eyes on the family before Noah was even born. In 2014, Ursula was accused of harming her infant half-sister Bobby Jean, causing skull fractures.

Oftentimes, skull fractures in an infant or a toddler point to shaken baby syndrome. DCFS social worker Jennifer Montagna wasn't going to allow Ursula to have another opportunity to harm a child. She launched a full investigation and knew that Ursula was pregnant again. As such, she arranged to have Noah taken away from his parents as soon as he was born. During the first few weeks of his life, Noah bounced from foster home to foster home and never formed the bond that newborns have with their mothers. Later it became obvious that Ursula didn't develop any motherly feelings towards her son. However, she was already accused of harming Bobby Jean,

so there was a very good possibility that she was, would have hurt Noah, even if the two had bonded. After a few weeks of bouncing around in the foster care system, Noah was placed in the temporary custody of his great-grandmother, Evangeline Hernandez, who he would go on to stay with for nine months. She was a capable, responsible, and loving caregiver. Noah formed perhaps the most enduring bond of his life while staying with Evangelina. Sometimes, he called his great-grandmother, Mommy.

Evangelina was getting him to all of his doctor's appointments and kept him clean and well-fed. She made sure he had plenty of age-appropriate toys and enriching activities to do throughout the day. Noah was thriving in her care. However, like many of the narcissistic parents we cover, Ursula and Jose wanted nothing more than to sabotage their son's life. They felt that DCFS had robbed them of the first months of caring for their son. When DCFS couldn't find concrete proof that Ursula was responsible for Bobby Jean's skull fracture, the investigation was determined to be inconclusive, and Noah was subsequently returned to his parents. Evangeline expressed concerns about the reunification between Noah and his parents.

His great-grandmother didn't feel like they were ready to take care of their son, but her concerns didn't seem to count for much. So one would think that once Ursula and Jose got their son back, All would be sunshine and daisies, right? It wouldn't be long before the family was back on DCFS's radar. In November of 2016, when Noah was just a little over two years old, Kaiser Permanente called DCFS to let them know that Noah had missed his last eight doctor's appointments. In fact, they had missed eight appointments in the course of just six months.

Because of Noah's young age and his history with DCFS, it was very important that he was being seen by a doctor. This isn't just important for at-risk children. In general, babies and toddlers need to reach a lot of developmental milestones. If Noah wasn't showing up for his doctor's appointments, there was no way for professionals to monitor his progress. Ursula claimed it was an issue with the family's insurance, but that was quickly proven to be a lie.

A social worker verified Noah always had medical coverage. It never lapsed. And again, DCFS had to intervene. When they visited the family's home to a home, investigate, they found that Noah was so weak in malnourish that he couldn't even walk, which placed him in the first percentile for boys his age. At two years old, he weighed just 17 pounds. The average weight for a two-year-old boy should be between 27 and 30 pounds. Jennifer Montanio said he appeared very thin. His eyes were hollow. Again, if Noah had been going

to his regular doctor's appointments, this would have been a non-issue. Ursula and Jose had hidden the little boy for a reason. Ursula said Noah ate too much, which made him vomit and thus not gained weight. She explained that he was a troublemaker and would run around the house eating everything until he couldn't take it anymore and threw up. Once again, Noah was removed from his parents' custody. This time he was placed in a treatment center called Biffyus House in the San Gabriel Valley. There, the goal was to restore his health, which was exactly what happened.

Noah didn't have any of the issues his parents' claims, such as vomiting or naughty behavior. The administrator at Biffia's house, Michelle Thompson, said he was not quite caught up but almost there. He was running around, he was sliding off the slide. He would call himself no-no. Afterward, Noah was returned to the care of his great-grandmother of Angelina. During this time, the two lit up each other's lives. By now, Noah was walking, talking, and singing. His favorite song was Old McDonald's.

He loved cuddles, and he would hug his great-grandmother and say, You know what time it is, Grandma? It's time for you to hold me and tell me you love me. Even though Evangelinea had temporary custody of Noah, his parents were granted visitation. They were allowed to take him for a few hours at a time, which broke Evangelinea's heart. Noah would scream and cry for up to 45 minutes before and after each visit

and kept telling her that he did not want to go. It didn't really even seem like Ursula and Jose were that enthusiastic about being with Noah either. The couple never made their son a priority. Oftentimes they bailed on visitation, much to Noah's benefit. But when it came to the DCFS investigations against them, the couple made it seem like they really wanted Noah back and fought to get their way. In 2017, the DCFS investigation that had Noah removed for the second time lasted a year and a half. Noah would be returned to his parents, but Ursula and Jose were given stipulations, including

enrolling Noah in daycare and therapy. He needed to show up at his doctor's appointments and the couple needed to complete a parenting program with a focus on parent-child bonding. All of this would be arranged with the help of DCFS, and they would have a specific social worker to help them oversee this process. Since Evangelina no longer had legal custody, all she could do was stand by her great-grandson and try to advocate for him. There were a lot of new social workers coming in and out of the picture,

so she made it her duty to make sure they were all informed about what was going on with Noah. Eventually, DCFS social worker Susan Johnson was assigned in Noah's case. She was the person who fought harder for the boy than anyone else did. Her job as a continuing services child social worker required her to oversee the reunification of the family and report back to the courts. Her colleagues had warned her

that Ursula and Jose were manipulators and proven liars. Ms. Johnson read through all of Noah's case files and made it a point to listen to the concerns of Evangalina, who at this point felt pretty dismissed by the system. In addition, Ms. Johnson made a number of visits to the family home, where she was able to make contact with Noah.

Ms. Johnson expressed a lot of concern regarding Noah. He seemed to exhibit telltale signs, of CA and neglect. She noticed this in some of the other children as well, but no one really seemed to be as bad off as Noah was. Ms. Johnson was worried that Noah was being used as a scapegoat in his family. According to psychologists, some families will adopt the method of a scapegoat

to cope with their dysfunctional family's relationships, whether it be consciously or subconsciously. They will sometimes choose one member of the family to inherit all of the blame for their problems. Anything bad that happens within the family is assigned to one of the children. They take the biggest punishment, mental and physical. Several months into the reunification plan, Ursula and Jose failed to enroll Noah in therapy or daycare. They never completed the parenting classes they were supposed to take.

In fact, they ignored everything the court was requiring them to do. Noah was telling family members and social workers that he did not want to be with his parents. Despite Ursula and Jose's unwillingness to cooperate, the courts decided to keep moving forward with the reunification plan. Ms. Johnson told the court that Ursula and Jose had lied to her multiple times. They continually lied about obtaining medical insurance, and they still weren't getting no of the medical attention that he needed. Ursula even lied about being pregnant. She denied two pregnancies, only to give birth both times. Allegedly, Ursula tried to sneak out of the hospital with her baby because,

because she knew that DCFS was going to be called, and that would open a new investigation. Susan Johnson would try to make unannounced home visits to the family, but most of the time they wouldn't answer their door. They would make excuses such as claiming they weren't home. It was impossible for Susan to enter the home as she did not have an official warrant. By the spring of 2019, when Noah was just four years old,

his life hadn't gotten any better whatsoever. He was no closer to a normal childhood, and the few advocates he had looking out for him seemed to be meeting constant obstacles. In March of 2019, Ms. Johnson showed up the address Ursula and Jose claimed to live at, only to find that they didn't live there at all. Jose's sister answered the door and said her brother and his kids

had not lived there for at least four months. His mother, Nuvia Barrios, said the family occasionally stayed there and confessed to being worried about her grandkids. Noah was always hungry, according to Ms. Barrios, who also worried about her grandchildren not being in school. In March 2019, Noah's aunt Maggie Hernandez called the hotline to report a troubling conversation that she had with her nephew. In this conversation, Noah told her some things that led her to believe that he was not only the victim of CA, but essay as well. She said it wasn't just this conversation that made her think that he was experiencing essay, but all.

also a change in his entire personality. His demeanor was different. During an overnight stay, Noah had night terrors and complained that his butt was hurting. Above all, Noah changed from an exuberant boy to a fearful one. She said she was very worried that nobody else would be willing to advocate for him. Susan Johnson learned about this report. When she read it, she immediately paid a visit to the home to investigate. What she found in this visit was the last straw for her.

Noah's arms and neck were covered in bruises and his back was completely lathered in some thick white cream that she couldn't identify. Ursula tried to explain that the bruising on his neck and upper arms was just because Noah was clumsy. She also said that the cream on his back was for eczema. This visit raised every red flag and Miss Johnson immediately shared the information with her superiors. She told them about his extensive bruising and that it seemed like Noah was being coached about what was happening to him. He told Ms. Johnson that he was being hit,

but then later recanted his statement, which is something often seen in victims of CA and DV. His parents had also been given countless opportunities to get him medical attention and to enroll him in school and therapy, which they were court ordered to do. However, they weren't doing anything to help Noah and his condition was only getting worse.

Ms. Johnson argued that no one needed to be taken away from his parents for a third time. But when she brought this up, she was told that she needed a warrant, which wasn't going to be easy. It seemed that her superiors were not paying much attention to her concerns. The only thing Ms. Johnson could do was file a report and let investigators look into the case. However, as we've seen in other cases, most recently that of Anthony Avalos, As soon as investigators get involved, a new caseworker is brought in to take the lead on the case. This new case worker was Maggie Vasquez Dukos. If you're familiar with Anthony's case or the case of Gabriel Fernandez,

then you'll remember how their social worker, Barbara Dixon, was dismissive, uncaring, and downright negligent as it pertained to both of them. Fortunately for Noah, Ms. Ducose was a real Barbara Dixon. As soon as she entered the picture, she started to undo all of Ms. Johnson's work. She did not read any of Noah's reports. The very first time she showed up at the residence, she found a smiling Ursula and Noah covered in bruises. Ursula and Jose immediately began explaining that he had fallen from his bunk bed. Ms. Dukos believed them right away.

They went on to explain how the previous social worker, Susan Johnson, and the rest of DCFS were out to get them. They told her they were being targeted due to racism. and that DCFS had already done enough to break her family apart. Ursula had also said, why would we hurt our baby when we just got him back? I have had this case open for four years, and I have been told I'm good enough to only have my two kids,

but not Noah. How does that make sense? It didn't take much to fool Miss Dukos into believing that they were honest. When she talked to Noah, he denied any claims of CA or essay. As such, she decided that none of the previous reports were truthful either, and closed her investigation as inconclusive. At the same time, Susan Johnson still hadn't given up on Noah and was desperately working to get him out of his toxic household.

She filed a complaint with the courts, which resulted in a petition to remove Noah from his parents' custody for a third time. She also followed through on her superior's challenge to get the warrant. The juvenile court granted the order to remove Noah and to have him examined to determine if SA had to. occurred. The petition was signed by a juvenile court judge in the early summer of 2019. When her superiors heard that she had actually gone ahead and obtained a warrant to remove him from his household, they called their own emergency meeting where Susan Johnson, Maggie Vasquez Dukos,

and DCFS leaders discussed Noah's case and whether or not they were going to follow through. Ms. Johnson later recalled trying to advocate for Noah in this meeting. She tried to warn everyone that if they didn't act on this court order, that they could have a dead child on their hands. One of the members told Ms. Johnson to stop talking, while Ms. Ducco said she believed the boy was fine, and there was nothing wrong with the family. Ms. Ducos also accused Ms. Johnson of siding with Evangelina Hernandez

in an attempt to sabotage the family and keep them away from Noah. She also said that she was concerned that if DCFS had any more involvement, they would be guilty of discrimination due to Ursula and Jose being Latino. Despite there being an active court order to remove Noah from his parents' custody, no one ever followed through with it. Ms. Ducos, her superiors, and DCFS decided that they needed to conduct a more thorough investigation before they could justify such drastic measures such as removing Noah for a third time. At this point, Susan Johnson is completely removed from the case.

Maggie Vasquez-Ducos and another social worker are once again assigned. Social workers have 10 days to take children from their homes after a commissioner issues a removal order. Otherwise, they must alert the court. But by mid-June, 29 days had passed, and no one ever told the juvenile court that he remained with his parents. In the summer of 2019, the Quattros were living in an apartment in Palmdale, California. Around this time, Maggie Vasquez Ducose and the other social worker paid a visit to their apartment. They found Noah with a cut across his face. Ursula and Jose provided three different explanations to how Noah received this injury.

Allegedly, Noah came up running to them a number of times to announce things like, they give me lots of food, and they take good care of me. These were obvious signs that Noah had been coached to cover up his parents' wrongdoing. After the visit, Ms. Ducose reported to the court that she still needed more. more time and was granted an additional 30 days to investigate the case. She emailed her superiors saying that even though it was court ordered, Noah didn't need an examination because there were no reports of SA in her opinion. Ms. Ducos tried to visit the family several more times and was denied and was verbally attacked

by Jose and Ursula. Despite being Latina herself, they claimed she was racist and wanted to take their child away. Still, Ms. Dukos kept defending them. She went on to claim that they were just overwhelmed by their previous experiences with social services. Sometime on June 5, 2019, a neighbor at the Mountain Shadows Apartments in Palmdale walked by the family's apartment and heard a child crying,

No, Daddy, no, Mommy! Just after 6 p.m., 911 dispatchers received a call from the Palmdale apartment complex. It was Ursula. She told the dispatchers that they needed in an ambulance and that her son Noah had been found unresponsive in the pool. Allegedly, the four-year-old had been swimming in the pool

and drowned as a result of a terrible accident. She said that they tried to revive him, but they were unsuccessful. But when the paramedics arrived on the scene, their story didn't add up. Noah was fully clothed, and he was completely dry. He didn't look like a boy that had just been pulled from a pool.

Noah was taken to the hospital, first at the Palmdale Regional Medical Center, and later at Children's Hospital, Los Angeles. No family members made it to his bedside. Dr. John Markham, who treated Noah, said he joined a group of doctors and nurses who held the boy's hands in his final moments. He said, we were with him as he left the earth.

Noah Quattro was pronounced dead the following morning. He was just a month shy of his fifth birthday. Noah's body revealed clues that were inconsistent with that of an accidental drowning. and the medical examiner would later find that he didn't have any water in his lungs. In fact, his autopsy reported bruising all over his body. He had multiple broken ribs that were in various stages of healing, which pointed to prolonged chronic beatings.

The autopsy revealed undeniable evidence of essay. They found trauma to Noah's rectum, but could not determine what had caused it. Noah was killed by means of extensive, torture. Noah's cause of death was strangulation and blunt force drama. The manner of death was ruled a homicide. Police had their eyes on only one pair of suspects. Now to eye witness news investigation, new video and frantic calls to 911 after the death of four-year-old Noah Quatro last summer. Noah's parents told police the boy drowned in a swimming pool, but according to grand jury

testimony just released, the parents stayed just seen to derail investigators. I'm Mayor Hernandez. has a story you're seen first on eyewitness news. The 911 call, four-year-old Noah Cuatro, unconscious on the living room floor. His parents telling first responders they had just pulled him from the swimming pool. We brought him up first because we're trying to get, we were trying to think like maybe he will wake up. Where are you at right now? His head is that way. Yeah, where?

Right here. In the house. In the house. In the house. In the living room. Okay, so you're in the living room. And I blam down. Noah's father, Jose Cuatro, reenacting his desperate CPR attempts at their Palmdale apartment on July 5th last year.

And I was just like, Noah, Noah, come on, some please, breathe. Their story soon unraveled. Jose Cuatro and Noah's mother, Ursula Juarez, are charged with the torture and murder of Noah. The case has the Department of Children and Family Services under fire too. Just eight weeks before Noah's death, a DCFS worker, Susan Johnson, had obtained a judge. order to remove Noah from his home. But Johnson's supervisors intervened. Noah died in a home DCFS itself had deemed high risk. A deputy responding to the 911 call describes how in the hospital the parents' lies were exposed. He was transferred to the hospital. No signs of drowning at all, no water in the lungs, but there's signs of physical and safety abuse. What doctors and the coroner did find

were bruises all over, healing rib fractures, brain swelling, and injuries consistent with assault, cause of death, asphyxiation, and blunt force trauma. It's looking like there's some sort of, like strangulation of some sort and sobation. Noah and his siblings had been in and out of foster care. Prosecutors alleged Jose Cuatro targeted Noah believing the boy was not his son, that at age two, back with the parents, Noah weighed. 17 pounds and could not walk on his own. Noah's mother sent a chilling text message.

Almost killed him so many times. I had to do CPR for him to wake up and stay alive, right? A check of security cameras at the pool showed no sign of Noah or his family that day. And about the frantic effort to revive Noah? There's evidence that Noah was unconscious hours before the parents called 911. The day after his death, Ursula and Jose were both arrested and Noah's remaining siblings were put into protective custody. Both Ursula and Jose were charged with CA and homicide. Bail was set at $4 million for Jose and $3 million for Ursula. Their case was brought to a grand jury in 2020. The two of them were indicted on counts of homicide and torture and Jose was charged with SA against a minor resulting in death. If convicted as

charged, Jose faces a possible maximum sentence of 47 years. to life in state prison, and Ursula could face up to 32 years. Sadly, the death penalty is off the table, thanks to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, who didn't do any favors for Anthony Avalos either. Jose and Ursula are still awaiting trial in their criminal case. In 2020, Evangalina Hernandez filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of herself and Noah's surviving siblings.

It stated that instead of protecting Noah into siblings, DCFS continued to place the children with their abusive parents, where the children continued to be abused over the course of several years. It also claims that after Noah's death, DCFS social workers made threats against Evangelina an attempt to silence her. They told her that if she made any public statements about Noah's case or mentioned any potential lawsuits, she would lose her request for guardianship of her other three great-grandchildren.

and would never see them again. The lawsuit has yet to be resolved, but is expected to be sometime in 2023. Hathaway Sycamore's Child and Family Services is named as an additional defendant. Hathaway Sycamores knew of or suspected the misconduct occurring in Noah Cuatro's home after the boy was sent to the agency by DCFS, but failed to report the misconduct. You'll remember this agency from our Anthony Avalos case. They did nothing to help him either. In the wake of Noah's death, Deputy D.A. Jonathan Hattami summoned several DCFS staffers

who worked on Noah's case, including Maggie Vasquez, Dukos, and her supervisor. Both acknowledged they had not actually read Susan Johnson's 26-page filing to the juvenile court to remove Noah, despite opposing it. Stunned, the prosecutor asked Ms. Dukos, quote, you're telling this jury that you decided not to follow the removal order that you never read. Is that accurate? End quote. She said she had, but then further explained that she read it after Noah passed away. None of the high-ranking DCFS administrators testified.

Noah Alejandro Quattro was laid to rest at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, California. During a private service, loved ones remembered the list. little boy who loved Spider-Man, ponies, and PJ Mayors, and who was excited about starting school. His gravestone decorated with the little boy's picture and a guitar for the inscription, a hug, a kiss in heaven's bliss. Gone too soon, our baby.