Amy Dye

The senseless and unnecessary death of 9-year old Amy Dye may never be less painful to deal with for many in Todd County and surrounding communities, but residents may be able to take some solace from knowing her life and death could prevent children like her from being abused or killed in the future.

Governor Steve Beshear specifically mentioned the girl, who was murdered by her brother Garrett in February, in a morning news conference.

A lifetime of alleged abuse against Amy was detailed in records forced open by court action recently and Governor Beshear says those circumstances demand change                     

The Governor laid out a four-part plan to help avoid such cases in the future, including opening the records of children who die or nearly die from alleged abuse.

The Governor will also ask for changes in state law during the upcoming session regarding state records and to begin a comprehensive review of all practices, procedures, policies and laws related to child protection to look for further opportunities to improve the system. Governor Beshear also wants to form an independent review panel to look at child fatalities and near-fatalities where child abuse or neglect is alleged.

Governor Beshear says you don’t have to be a parent to be outraged by the Dye case and acknowledged the circumstances have angered many Kentuckians.

Even so, Governor Beshear said what looks so easy to understand in retrospect is never as clear at the time to social workers who deal with the difficult issues on a daily basis.

We’ll continue tracking this story in the coming days to see how soon these proposed changes could be implemented and if local members of the General Assembly support the proposed changes which would require votes from the State House and Senate.

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11/29/2011/am

Gov. Steve Beshear