CLAY CO.—A simple news release issued Friday, April 12, 2013 outlined the very basics of the latest murder case in the region, this coming out of Clay County.
But sources close to the situation with Denny Blanchard and the death of his almost-five-month-son in July of 2012 say there’s a lot more to the story than public officials are telling, even after an eight-month-long investigation by the Department of Children and Family Services and the Illinois State Police.
And what they’re saying all leads back to whether an agency that has no statutory authority in the state—DCFS—has the right or ability to not only get involved in what could very well have been a tragic accident, but to break up a family, call in a law enforcement entity and issue their “opinions” on whether they believe the father is telling the truth about the incident…or whether he’s concocted a cover for himself, something only law enforcement should be allowed to do.
Simple press release
The news release, submitted to local press shortly before 3 p.m. on April 12, stated simply:
“On April 12, 2013, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office received an outstanding warrant for Denny D. Blanchard, 26, Effingham, for 2 Counts of Murder and 2 Counts of Aggravated Battery of a Child. Subsequently to receiving this warrant, Blanchard was arrested by the Illinois State Police and transported to the Clay County Jail. Blanchard’s bond is set at one million dollars. Blanchard is currently incarcerated in the Clay County Jail awaiting his court appearance in Clay County court.”
Attempts to reach Clay County state’s attorney Marilyn Brant were unsuccessful as of that Friday afternoon; and, given that this current issue had a Sunday deadline, the attempts by her office staff to convince Disclosure Brant could “call back Monday” were determined useless in the scheme of things.
What Disclosure was trying to ask Brant is what many in Clay who know Blanchard, and who were aware of the situation last summer—which was aired across social media in full—wanted to know: How could what Blanchard called “an accident” be charged as a homicide and a battery, both charges meaning he acted with intent?
Had surgery
The situation last summer as it was put forth on numerous Facebook pages belonging to those involved goes like this:
Blanchard and his wife Corrinna had had a son, Kamden, in late February 2012. Then Denny Blanchard had had significant surgery on his feet: Insertion of an implant under his ankle bones, along with some replacement of what was reported to be tendons on the back of both legs. This also involved placing seven screws in his right foot and four in his left. All of this left him in a wheelchair for several weeks during his recovery.
Nevertheless, he believed he could care for the infant boy while Corrinna was at work, and so he was left with the baby and in early July 2012 (without the exact charges, which Disclosure did not have due to the absence of Brant and the vagueness of the press release, the exact date was unknown as of press time April 14), claimed to have the baby either in his arms or on his lap while he was in the wheelchair.
For whatever reason, Blanchard is reported to have told authorities, he somehow overturned the wheelchair, and the baby boy, not quite five months old, sustained life-threatening injuries as a result.
Whether the baby merely fell to the floor (from a height that wasn’t too far up, if it was in a standard-sized wheelchair), or was crushed under the wheelchair or his father’s weight, remained unknown as of press time as well.
ISP, DCFS didn’t buy the story?
Whatever the case, Blanchard was able to call his wife at work, and ultimately, the baby was transferred to a hospital in St. Louis, where he died of his injuries on July 13.
Sources close to the Blanchard family tell Disclosure that they were unaware of the exact nature of the injuries, but there was swelling of the brain ordinarily associated with shaken baby syndrome, so DCFS was called in, likely by medical staff who are mandated reporters and who apparently didn’t buy Blanchard’s story of the wheelchair falling over.
DCFS, a middleman group who has no statutory authority in the state (they cannot conduct a forensic [legal] investigation for a criminal case, nor are they an arm of law enforcement, the courts or the judiciary), got involved and reportedly separated the Blanchard parents in an effort to figure out who was telling the truth about what. Corrina Blanchard’s young daughter was reportedly removed from her custody as well while DCFS’ “investigation” was ongoing; and Denny Blanchard of course was not allowed to see his daughter.
Throughout the intervening eight months, the Illinois state police interviewed Blanchard, and ultimately told him in March that DCFS had determined that since he was in a wheelchair, he shouldn’t have had the baby boy in his care.
ISP advised that their investigation, too, was pointing to action on the part of Blanchard for culpability in a crime, not in a tragic accident with a wheelchair.
Interestingly, just days before ISP came to arrest Blanchard, it’s been reported to Disclosure that an alleged pending theft charge against his wife had been dropped; that DCFS was now “out of the picture,” and that Corrinna was going to be allowed to see her daughter “anytime she wanted” and would be “getting her back as soon as she (Corrinna) gets a place.”
Baby’s mom’s input
The arrest was affected on April 12 and Blanchard is now awaiting court appearances.
Corrinna Blanchard reached Disclosure to comment on the case that evening, and stated unequivocally that she “didn’t want to say anything” because she “didn’t want to get herself in trouble.” She alluded to video statements having been given, and admitted that the whole situation is “a big mess.”
There was no indication on her part—nor indeed on the part of anyone thus far involved—of the suspicion that Blanchard actually shook his son, causing brain injuries, then tried to cover it up by the wheelchair-falling-over story.
As more information becomes available, Disclosure will bring it, via either the printed pages, or through disclosurenewsonline.com’s website.