The Stark family was brought into the spotlight with recent publications in the Denver Post and Sky-Hi News. These articles contain implications unsubstantiated by facts and overlook the mental health disorder at the center of this family’s life.

One of the defining characteristics of Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) is that often the primary caregiver is seen as irrational. And here we are, five years after the death of Isaiah, still blaming the parents.

“It is the general lack of knowledge about reactive attachment disorder that paves the way toward loneliness for parents. Because people don’t understand the disorder, they blame moms and dads for poor or irrational parenting,” says a 2020 article by RAD Advocates.

The May 21 Denver Post story states, “caseworkers expressed concerns about the validity of the difficulties that Elizabeth reported regarding Isaiah’s behavioral health issues.”

It sounds like they dismissed her.

The state’s Child Fatality Review Team, “concluded [Isaiah’s death] was ‘needless and could have been prevented’ if only medical and mental health professionals had appropriately monitored the situation.”

This should be a condemnation of a system that failed this family, not of the parents that sought aid for years, and a mother who was quoted as saying, “I am desperate for help.”

It continues, “Caseworkers noted that the mother also appeared overwhelmed by parenting in general.”

So they noticed, but was anything done to help? What services were provided to these parents who were obviously struggling?

The article speaks of persistent emails from the mother to medical providers in the months leading up to her son’s death, asking for help and begging to be listened to.

“Things are getting worse,'” she said.

Yet, after multiple investigations found no case against the parents, our best reporting drags them before the court of public opinion and shouts ruthlessly in reply: “Too much olive brine.” We are failing the Starks again.