Above file video: Attorney details new lawsuit alleging school failed to report Elwyn Crocker Jr.’s abuse to police A Georgia appeals court has revived parts of a lawsuit brought by the estate of Mary Frances Crocker, one of two siblings found buried behind their Effingham County home in 2018, over allegations that school officials failed to properly report an earlier warning of abuse. The Oct. 30 ruling came just weeks after the estate of Mary’s brother, Elwyn Crocker Jr., filed a separate lawsuit against four former school officials over the same 2017 report. Both lawsuits allege that a report to local law enforcement could have led to an investigation and intervention. The appeals court did not decide whether school officials acted improperly or whether their actions contributed to either child’s death. According to the appellate opinion, an Effingham County High School student reported in March 2017 that Elwyn had been beaten with a belt by his grandmother. A school social worker received the report and passed it to counselor Kate Keith, who submitted a mandated reporter form to the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services. The agency acknowledged receiving the report but declined to investigate, the court said. Elwyn’s estate provides additional details in its complaint, which was filed Oct. 14 in Effingham County Superior Court. The complaint says the student reported hearing Elwyn scream, hearing what sounded like a belt striking skin and later seeing a red…
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