WBTV: ‘Lost kids in Mecklenburg County’: Lawmakers blast county officials in combative hearing about child’s death

Mecklenburg County officials on Thursday revealed that just months before a young child in Charlotte died of alleged abuse and neglect, they had screened out a call for investigation at her home earlier that year.

That call was the 12th time that Mecklenburg County Social Services had received reports about Dominique Moody during her six years of life, according to records newly filed with the North Carolina General Assembly on Thursday.

The 13th call was for Moody’s death.

The information, long sought by WBTV in an ongoing investigation, came during a legislative hearing lasting more than eight hours in which North Carolina lawmakers blasted county officials for failures to prevent Dominique Moody’s death.

“Did you follow the law?” Rep. Allen Chesser asked (R-Nash County), who chaired the hearing.

“We followed our policy,” Mecklenburg County manager Mike Bryant responded.

“You hide behind the law while violating the law,” said Chesser.

County officials faced questions from the House Oversight Committee for more than four hours of the hearing, during exchanges that often turned tense and at times contradictory.

“I believe there are people at that table that should be held to account for the criminal neglect that has been show in this case and other cases as proven by the DHHS report,” Chesser said, speaking to county manager Mike Bryant, interim Child, Family and Adult Services director Letecia Loadholt, and deputy county manager Kimm Campbell.

In an interview afterwards, Bryant said he agreed with many of the lawmakers’ concerns but was grateful they had acknowledged his plans for improvement.

“I regret that our silence has been seen or has been viewed as a sign of weakness, a sign of guilt, a sign that we’re trying to hide something. Our silence is a sign of strength.”

For first time, Mecklenburg County discloses numerous contacts with Dominique

WBTV first exposed that Dominique Moody’s home had been visited numerous times by both child welfare workers and police officers in the years leading up to her death on Dec. 16, 2025 from severe alleged abuse and neglect.

Until Thursday’s hearing, county officials had refused to publicly provide details about exactly when case workers had last visited the home or how often those visits had happened.

Dominique was found not breathing in December, 13 pounds below the minimal acceptable weight for a 6-year-old child and with scars and injuries on her body that medical examiners told WBTV dated back years.

For months, Mecklenburg County refused to disclose information to the public about when they were last at Dominique’s home, even after WBTV reported – based on sealed juvenile court records – that child protective services had closed at least five investigations at the home.

On Thursday, county officials disclosed in public filings to lawmakers on the Oversight Committee that they had in fact received thirteen calls in total related to Dominique.

“No one did anything,” Rep. Carla Cunningham (Unaffiliated - Mecklenburg County) said in frustration. “I’m done.”

The most recent call before her death came in 2025, those records stated, and was screened out: meaning case workers did not accept the report for investigation.

“How many lost kids do we have in Mecklenburg County, being ignored just like this?” asked Rep. Brian Echevarria (R – Cabarrus County). “This is the most upsetting hearing we’ve had.”

Over the years, the county’s records state that seven supervisors had been involved in the decisions to screen out numerous calls about Dominique dating back to 2020.

None of those calls, before the thirteenth call for her death, resulted in substantiated findings of abuse or neglect – information that aligns with WBTV’s earliest reporting in January that the county refused to confirm at the time.

One supervisor was fired, another resigned, and several other staff members connected to Dominique’s case were disciplined, the county acknowledged Thursday.

State, Mecklenburg County appear to contradict

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services put Mecklenburg County on a correction plan last month, finding numerous broad systemic failures in how the county was both screening in cases for investigation as well as how case workers were handling child safety once an investigation was conducted.

“[The state] said they are very confident that we can get this back on the road,” county manager Mike Bryant told lawmakers.

“I’m sorry, I’m not confident, Mr. Bryant,” said Rep Mike Schietzelt (R – Wake County). “A 6-year-old was found dead in a dog crate in your county...that is not acceptable.”

Bryant repeatedly voiced throughout the hearing and in an interview afterwards that he agreed with many of the lawmakers’ assessments of the count’s social services department, and was putting improvement plans in place.

“It was a tough conversation, but we have those same concerns,” Bryant told WBTV after the hearing. “Regardless of deliverance, I respect every concern that was articulated.”

However, many times throughout the lengthy hearing, county officials appeared confused on evidence related to Dominique’s case and other facts regarding the broader state review.

For instance, in submitted testimony, county officials insisted that case workers had made face to face contact with Dominique and documented her physical condition and nutritional needs.

Several times, lawmakers noted that testimony appeared to contradict the state’s assessment of how the county had handled intake calls for Moody’s home. The state’s review of more than 100 cases had found face-to-face contact missing or insufficient in more than half of all calls.

In another case, Rep. Chesser said the number of calls reported to the committee was different than the number reported to him when he visited the department earlier this year.

“I’m finding out now about the discrepancy,” Bryant responded.

Other times, county officials disputed how lawmakers were interpreting documents or events.

In one case, one lawmaker pointed to a budget document from eight weeks before Dominique’s death that found the county’s own assessment of certain child welfare services to be only “slightly worse” than other major cities.

“Your county is failing children and your explanation for that is that you are only ‘slightly worse’ than other cities,” Rep. Heather Rhyne said.

“I think you’re taking it out of context when you directly tie these results to [Dominique’s] case,” Bryant responded.

Charlotte police reveal they made two referrals to DSS

In Charlotte-Mecklenburg police chief Estella Patterson’s testimony, she revealed that police officers had made two of the referrals to county social services with concerns about Dominique Moody.

However, of the more than 50 calls for service to Dominique’s home in the years before her death, Patterson said in written testimony that officers had not observed child abuse, neglect or welfare concerns in the home.

“I’m going to confess a little mounting frustration today as we’ve had these discussions that there seems to be a lot of willingness to shirk responsibility and try to place the blame on someone else or circle the wagons,” Rep Schietzelt said in a back and forth with chief Patterson.

“There were flashing red signs that should have tipped people off that something was not right here.”

When asked about what level of responsibility Patterson believed her department held in Moody’s death, she responded that better communication was needed between agencies.

Dominique’s great-uncle J. Vernon Peterson, who has been a staunch advocate for the child since he learned of her and her brutal death, was in attendance.

“Our children need to be protected, and what I’m hearing is – I’m hearing agencies protecting themselves.”