The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • B3

2014 The Boston Globe Metro B3 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, Child protection workers protest heavy caseloads 4 M. About three dozen caseworkers and DCF investigators held an i Lowell on Tuesday to draw attention to staffing shortages. tion about my client's alleged involvement in the death," Reardon said. Sierra's lawyer didn't return a call seeking comment. The Oliver case exposed systemic problems at the state child protection agency, including heavy caseloads and poor internal communication.

"We need something done today. We need more workers. We need lower caseloads," said Kelly Ballum, a caseworker in Lowell, where about three dozen caseworkers and DCF investigators held an informational picket Tuesday. She said she's handling 22 cases and must visit with 30 children this month. Union officials singled out a directive requiring the agency to conduct a full investigation of any claims of abuse involving children age 5 and under in families with young parents, or parents with a history of substance abuse, domestic violence, mental health issues, or unresolved childhood trauma.

"It's just impossible for the agency and for the investigators and ongoing workers to handle the volume of cases that are coming in," said Anthony Labo, a child welfare investigator in Lowell and a union official. The contract for investigators says they should have no more than 12 cases per month, By Laura Crimaldi GLOBE STAFF LOWELL Child welfare workers are struggling with what they say is a caseload crisis caused by longstanding staffing shortages and new policies implemented after the disappearance of a Fitchburg boy who was under state supervision, union officials said Tuesday. The state Department of Children and Families was handling 35,066 cases as of March 1, according to the Service Employees International Union Local 509, which represents child welfare workers. That's a 9 percent increase since December, when officials learned that Jeremiah Oliver was missing. Jeremiah's body was found Friday off Interstate 190 in Sterling, authorities said.

He was 4 years old when he was last seen in September. No one has been charged in his death. The preschooler is alleged to have been the victim of violence involving his mother, Elsa Oliver, 28, and her boyfriend, Alberto Sierra 23, both of whom have refused to say anything about his whereabouts since their arrests in December on assault and child endanger-ment charges. They have pleaded not guilty. On Tuesday, a judge allowed requests from Elsa Oliver's lawyer to let an independent pathologist examine the boy's body before it is released to his family for a funeral, said her attorney, James Gavin Reardon Jr.

"There has been no announced cause of death nor have I been given any informa- Brockton SLAYING Continued from Page Bl "This violence really has to has to stop," said Dr. Ali Aby Muhammad, who mentored Rosario. "He wasn't just a statistic He had a promising future, he did a lot of wonderful things. He was a cut above the rest." In response to the recent killings, Brockton police, Mayor Bill Carpenter, and Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz on Tuesday announced initiatives to "restore safe neighborhoods," including stepped-up police and gang unit patrols in high-crime areas at night, increased information-sharing between Brockton police, State Police, and Boston police, and new requirements for video surveillance in businesses that serve alcohol.

"People ask, is there an up-tick in crime?" said Cruz. "Right launches safety initiatives after MARK LORENZ FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE informational picket in but Labo said some are now juggling upward of 30 a month. Peter MacKinnon, president of the union that represents child welfare workers, said he supports the reasons behind the new directives, including an increase in opiate abuse and research into the causes of death and injuries for children age 5 and under. But, he said, the agency should have put staff in place to carry out the policy change. "They put in writing that we don't have the staff to do this, but we're going to do this anyway," MacKinnon said.

"To do it without any thought or any planning and without the staff to do it caused the spike and Do Rosario, 36. "We just can't conceive it." Cruz declined to comment specifically on Rosario's killing. Carpenter said he plans to ask the City Council for $170,000 to transfer into the police overtime account to pay for increased patrols. He said he plans to forward a proposal to the city's license commission that would require video surveillance inside and outside all establishments that serve alcohol. Carpenter said he has already begun to ask other businesses to voluntarily install cameras facing public areas.

An improved anonymous crime-tip text messaging service will be set up, Carpenter said, and he has proposed a change to the city's nuisance ordinance that will require that all graffiti be removed. "I do know that all of the law enforcement agencies here in Couple is found dead in home Officials suspect murder-suicide By Travis Andersen GLOBE STAFF WEYMOUTH A relative arrived at the yellow home on Dunbar Road to check on the elderly couple who live there early Tuesday and found them dead in an apparent murder-suicide, authorities said. Elizabeth A. Coyne, 81, and her husband, Donald Coyne, 83, suffered injuries "consistent with gunshot wounds," Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey's office said in a statement.

A .25 caliber Walther pistol that authorities said they believe Donald Coyne owned was found at his side when they were discovered about 7:12 a.m. David Traub, Morrissey's spokesman, declined to say how many times either person was shot or where. He said officials were working to determine what may have touched off a violent altercation between the couple. Donald Coyne's license to own the pistol had expired several years ago, Traub said. Prosecutors said the couple were "long-term residents" of the home, and Weymouth police reported no prior involvement with them.

"There is no known history of domestic violence," the statement said. Police had cleared the scene on Dunbar Road, a small dirt road off of a main thoroughfare, by 6 p.m. Tuesday. Trash cans were placed in the front of the driveway of the couple's modest, Cape-style home. A Subaru Outback and a Honda Civic were parked in the driveway, and laundry was hanging on clothes lines in the backyard.

Most neighbors at the other four homes located on or just off the road either did not answer their doors or refused to comment. Traub did not answer directly when asked if either Donald or Elizabeth Coyne had a history of dementia or other medical issues. "At this point, we don't see anything that is linked to the events of the day," Traub said. He added that the Coynes had two adult children, but he declined to say where they live. Family members could not be reached for comment on Tuesday night.

One neighbor, who did not give her name, said it was the couple's son who discovered the bodies, an account that Traub would not confirm. Weymouth police referred questions to Morrissey's office, which is leading the investigation. The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner removed the bodies from the home on Tuesday afternoon, and autopsies are not expected to be conducted before Wednesday, prosecutors said. This would be the state's second murder-suicide in 2014, said Toni K. Troop, director of communications at Jane Doe, a statewide sexual assault and domestic violence advocacy organization.

There have been a total of five domestic-violence-related deaths this year, she said. Troop said there is often a generational divide in awareness and willingness to speak out about domestic violence, with older generations less likely to come forward. But, she said, "there's a higher incidence of fatalities when it comes to perpetrators who are older." actually made kids less safe." Governor Deval Patrick said lawmakers are working on providing more money to hire additional staff. "They have had staffing needs for some time, we've known this for more than a year, we've been working on it for more than a year," Patrick said, according to a transcript of his comments provided to the Globe. The agency got an additional $2.8 million in funding this year, and Patrick's budget plan for next year includes an additional $9.2 million to pay for 175 new social workers and staff and to improve technology, according to a statement from Cayenne Isaksen, a DCF spokeswoman.

More than 150 social workers and staff have been hired in the last four months, she said. The union said the extra money being sought would not meet demand. Jeremiah Oliver's disappearance only became known to police when his 7-year-old sister told school staff that she and her 9-year-old brother had been physically abused at home and that she had not seen Jeremiah in a long time. The boy's father, Jose Oliver, who lives in New Britain, said he hopes to hold a funeral in Fitchburg and burial in Worcester. "I hope I get answers.

Why? Just why? That's what I want to know just why and what happened," he said. Laura Crimaldi can be reached at Iaura.crimaIdiglobe.com. Follow her on Twitter lauracrimaldi. killings the city, led by the Brockton Police Department, are very pro-actively removing guns and removing drugs from the streets of the city," said Carpenter. When killings happen, he said "it just strengthens our resolve to apply even more resources and work even harder." Rosario lived with his parents, and their Dorchester home was filled with relatives on Tuesday afternoon who surrounded Rosario's weeping mother.

Rosario was a volunteer for several local programs including the Boys Girls Club of Dorchester. He loved fishing, skiing, and soccer. "He had such a good heart," said his aunt and godmother, Leonor Amado. "They have stolen my happy." Evan Allen can be reached at evan.alIenglobe.com. Follow her on Twitter evanmallen.

Workplace Dynamics State restricts use of now, to me, there's the same, unfortunately. Any one homicide in and of itself is a terrible tragedy. It's our responsibility to make sure we get in front of that." This year, there have been four homicides in Plymouth County, Cruz said all in Brockton. The killings do not appear to be related, he said. On Jan.

10, 49-year-old Jacinto Correia was stabbed to death in a first-floor apartment on Prospect Street after an argument. Joao DeAndrade was charged with murder in the case, which is pending, accord-ing to a Plymouth County spokeswoman. On April 11, Elson G. Miranda, 21, of Brockton, was shot to death inside a restaurant on Ames Street. No arrests have been made.

Also on April 11, police snorted or injected. Zohydro is the only drug that fell within that category. Zogenix challenged the ban in federal court, saying the US Food and Drug Administration had already approved the drug after proper screening. US District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel ruled that the state could not overrule the agency's decision.

The controversy over the drug, which can be five times as powerful as Vicodin, has continued, with critics saying it could lead to addiction. Nearly 30 states asked the FDA to reject Zohydro, and US Representative Stephen F. Lynch of South Boston cosponsored a bill that would overturn the FDA's decision. Vermont, which faces its own epidemic of opiate addictions, also enacted restrictions. Joanne Peterson, executive director of Learn to Cope, a support group for families of people fighting drug addiction, welcomed the governor's order, saying her group had failed to persuade Zogenix to reconsider release of the drug.

"We're really frightened about another powerful opiate finding its way out into our streets," said Peterson, speaking from the National Rx Drug Abuse Summit in Atlanta, where she is giving a lecture. Dr. Ronald Dunlap, president of the Massachusetts Med- found the body of Jacinto Viei-ra, 20, who had been stabbed to death on Green Street. Terrance Terrell Richardson, 19, was arrested on charges of murder and armed robbery. And around 2:25 a.m.

April 19, Rosario was driving a friend's car east on Grove Street when another car pulled up along the driver's side and began shooting. Rosario was hit, and the car veered off the road and crashed into a fence. No one has been arrested. Cruz declined to comment on the individual cases, except to say that they were not random, and that officials expect to make arrests in the two killings that have not been cleared. Neither Rosario nor his passenger, Rosario's family said, had problems with anyone.

"For something like this to happen is a big shock to us," said Rosario's sister, Hortencia Zohydro ical Society, said in a statement Tuesday that physicians recognize the severity of the prescription abuse problem and support the Board of Registration in Medicine vote Tuesday. The statement added, however, that treatment for pain is complex, and that doctors and regulators must strike a balance between providing treatment and overprescribing "so that patients who can truly benefit from such medications maybe able to do so." Leo Beletsky, an associate professor of law and health sciences at Northeastern University, said Tuesday the new restrictions emulate what other states are doing to confront opiate abuse and better monitor prescriptions, and that they "are very reasonable and justified kinds of regulatory changes." He said, though, that restrictions would go only so far in confronting addiction: He said the state will need to better follow up with the findings of the Prescription Monitoring Program to make sure that people fighting addictions get the treatment they need. "What are the next steps, that's my question," he said. Joshua Miller of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Milton J.

Valencia can be reached at mvaIenciaglobe.com. JOB ZOHYDRO Continued from Page Bl chusetts agencies, including the state Board of Registration in Pharmacy, could consider additional controls. "We are in the midst of a public health emergency around opioid abuse and we need to do everything in our power to prevent it from getting worse," the governor said in a statement late Tuesday. Cheryl Bartlett, the state's commissioner of public health, said that the restrictions mirror policies enacted elsewhere to monitor opioid prescriptions. "Bold actions are necessary we are in the middle of a crisis," she said, predicting the restrictions will withstand any legal challenges.

"We wanted to make sure safeguards are in place for this drug It's making sure it's prescribed and used in the safest way possible." A representative for Zo-genix, the maker of Zohydro, did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday. Patrick had effectively singled out Zohydro in declaring a state of emergency last month to confront the state's growing opiate addiction epidemic. The governor banned any analgesic that has the pain reliever hy-drocodone as its sole active ingredient and that could be susceptible to abusers crushing the medication so that it can be Nominate Your Company for The Boston Globe's Top Places to Work. Visit BostonGlobe.comNominate for details. Nomination deadline is May 23rd, 2014! BostonGlobe.com John R.

Ellement of the Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent Todd Feathers contributed to this report. Travis Andersen can be reached at travis. andersen globe. com..