Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
WEST HAVEN, Weber County — A second cafeteria worker is speaking out about actions taken to alert the Division of Child and Family Services of suspected child abuse suffered by a 12-year-old boy who died in July.
"It's been really hard and really hard for those of us that knew Gavin," said Rachel Reynolds. "Even though we tried very hard, we're still left wondering what else could have been done?"
Gavin Peterson was found by deputies dying on the bathroom floor of his father's home on July 9 in West Haven. Prosecutors allege he suffered severe malnutrition caused by his father, Shane Peterson, stepmother, Nichole Scott, and brother Tyler Peterson.
Reynolds alleges the signs of abuse were present years ago, and complaints were filed with the Division of Child and Family Services by school staff. She is the second staff member from Kanesville Elementary School to speak out against the agency, alleging their complaints were not investigated.
Like Jan Davis, the first to publicly speak out against the Division of Child and Family Services, Reynolds said she got to know Gavin while working in the school's cafeteria and as a school reading aid during his fifth grade year.
Reynolds said she met Gavin in January 2022 when she noticed his eagerness to clear food from the cafeteria tables, but she soon grew suspicious of an underlying issue.
"Somebody told me (he) might not just be looking to help clean up. He might be looking for more food," Reynolds said. "He was always hungry."
Then, in August 2022, when the school's COVID-era free meal programs ended, Reynolds saw Gavin take leftovers from the trash.
"We started seeing him try to find food wherever he could," she said. "We knew he was so hungry because he would hover over the trash drinking a cup of water, and wait and watch for something to be thrown away that was almost fully intact. And he'd grab it and take off."
According to Reynolds, cafeteria workers bought Gavin lunch until his father and stepmom found out, and they were prohibited from doing so.
"They were furious. They didn't want us to feed him at all," Reynolds said. "They didn't want him to have any food from anywhere."
However, concerned cafeteria workers and school staff continued looking for ways to feed Gavin.
"I could not let a child eat food from the trash. I just couldn't," Reynolds said. "We started sneaking him food even after we were told not to give him food. We would save whatever food we could and give it to him."
Reynolds said Gavin's father and stepmother justified Gavin's small frame and constant desire for food as side effects from his medication, but she didn't buy it.
"It didn't add up," she said. "I had an idea that there was something else going on, and it was something I had conversations with the principal about."
During that time, Reynolds alleges at least four calls were made to the Division of Child and Family Services by cafeteria workers and even the school's principal.
"It seemed like all calls that were being made were being ignored, so I tried desperately. I talked to the principal constantly. He was aware of the situation," Reynolds said.
In one incident, Reynolds personally walked Gavin to the nurse and school principal and witnessed them call the agency.
"He was picking at his fingers. They looked swollen and infected, so I took him to the office, and I know for sure that they called," Reynolds said. "That was my goal, to make sure that we had somebody high up in the school calling because I figured that would warrant a visit, and still there was nobody that came to visit him. Usually, we have DCFS pull children out of their classroom to interview them … and nobody ever came for him. In my opinion, that warranted a visit that afternoon, or the next day at the latest because by that point, the evidence would be gone."
Gavin's withdrawal from school in August 2023 further raised staff members' concerns. They again tried to contact the Division of Child and Family Services.
"We had the worst fear in our hearts that something was going to happen," Reynolds said. "I know others tried to get attention after he didn't come back. They were told that we could no longer make reports because he was not a student anymore."
In response to KSL-TV's questions, the Division of Child and Family Services reaffirmed its commitment to a thorough investigation of Gavin's case and encouraged the community to continue using its hotline to report incidents of suspected child abuse.
Lawmakers on the Child Welfare Legislative Oversight Panel are expected to learn the investigation's findings in a closed-door hearing within the next month.
While Reynolds holds the agency accountable for the alleged mishandling of the school's complaints, she's also calling on changes in the state's homeschooling laws.
"[Gavin] was no longer seen, and nobody was allowed to go to his house to check on him," she said. "It took away all the school and the school district's power to check on him. I feel like that needs to change, that there needs to be some sort of regulation."
"It's just not fair because he deserved so much more than this," she added.
Child abuse resources:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online: udvc.org. The statewide child abuse and neglect hotline is 1-855-323-DCFS (3237).
- The Utah Division of Child and Family Services offers counseling, teaches parenting skills and conflict resolution and can connect families with community resources. Its goal is to keep children with their family when it is "possible and safe." Visit dcfs.utah.gov/contact-us/ or call 801-538-4100.
- The Christmas Box House acts as a temporary shelter for children and can provide them with new clothing and shoes, among other services. Call the Salt Lake office at 801-747-2201 or the Ogden office at 801-866-0350.
