Justice for Thomas Valva: The unfinished work

In the three years since Thomas Valva's heartbreaking death, all eyes had turned to the courtroom.

Now, both Michael Valva and Angela Pollina have been sentenced, each receiving the maximum term of 25 years to life. It was the only punishment fit for their brutal crimes. 

But the work to bring justice for Thomas Valva, and other children who suffer at the hands of their parents or caregivers, must not stop there. 

Now, without an ongoing criminal case as the excuse, the investigations, task forces and examinations into what went wrong and why, must put action to their words and take center stage. 

That starts with the state Office of Children and Family Services, which conducted an investigation into Thomas' death and issued a report, which has never been released. It must be.

All anyone has seen are recommendations that, among other things, encouraged improved communication, supervision, reporting requirements and training. In June 2020, Suffolk County adopted those recommendations, and additional measures.

But where is the information behind those suggestions? Where are the valuable details on the response — or lack thereof — from Suffolk Child Protective Services and from the state? Where are the explanations, timelines, descriptions of activity and inactivity and failures along the way? How will we know the changes will solve the shortcomings if we don't know what those shortcomings were?

OCFS officials say the office did not release the report because it would cause "trauma and embarrassment" to Thomas' siblings. After what these children have been through, it's hard to imagine that a bureaucratic document could make it worse. There are ways to both protect the siblings and provide an understanding of what went wrong — and why.

Beyond the state's work, the Suffolk County Legislature had promised an investigation, which was unfortunately halted during the criminal trials. Now, Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey promised the legislature would move forward but provided no timeline. Urgency is required.

The state Office of Court Administration also has yet to review what happened in the family court system. Why?

Then there's District Attorney Ray Tierney, who confirmed this week that a grand jury investigation is underway. A spokeswoman promises that Tierney is "adamant on finding out how the Valva brothers slipped through the cracks of the system despite all the warning signs." That must happen quickly. Tierney said Tuesday he was "not going to rush it." But he waited too long already, and the longer he delays, the more other children may suffer. 

The lack of a continued push from elected officials, is both puzzling and disturbing. Do Suffolk and state officials think they've done enough? They haven't. Beyond demanding a thorough and timely accounting, they must make sure staffing increases and other CPS changes take hold.

After more than three years, there are too many questions. We must keep asking — until we get answers.