The day Maddie Wise, 31, got the call that her eldest son died is largely a blur. She remembers being at work. She remembers the last words his father said before ending the call: He is dead.
Rylan Wise was just 11 years old.
“I just sat out by the ditch and cried,” said Maddie. “This can’t be real. I just want to see him. I just want to hug him.”
Rylan was days into visiting his father’s house on the day he died. His mother and father had split custody of him and his younger sister since they separated more than two years ago.
The medical examiner reported Rylan died from an overdose on methadone pills -- a drug commonly used to treat opioid addiction and pain. The medical examiner determined the 11-year-old boy committed suicide.
“How in the world did my son get a hold of that?” Maddie asked through tears. “He would’ve said goodbye.”
After Rylan’s death, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Department of Children and Families began investigations into Rylan’s death and the safety of his siblings. A judge ordered Rylan’s father have no contact with his other minor children until further notice of the court.
In a case plan from February, DCF workers stated there “were serious concerns that the father’s suspected drug usage played a role in the child’s death.”
The case plan also said there were concerns that without intervention from DCF, “the father’s other children would be at risk” and that Rylan’s father had been investigated by the department previously.
But five months after the death of Rylan, the Sheriff’s Office concluded its investigation with no findings of criminal conduct by Rylan’s father. (Investigators say they are still finalizing their investigative report.)
A judge is now considering a request made by Rylan’s father for supervised visitation with his youngest three children.
DCF, despite its previous concerns, is supporting therapeutic visitation, another form of supervised contact for Rylan’s siblings. (We reached out to DCF and were told the department is still processing our request, which is subject to state confidentiality laws regarding child protective investigations. DCF also said it is not currently available for interviews.)
Rylan’s mother and a court-appointed guardian ad litem say it is not in the best interest of Rylan’s siblings.
“I felt certain the Department of Children and Families was going to back us up terminating his parental rights and not allowing him contact any further with the remaining children,” said Summer Boyd, the attorney for Rylan’s mother. “They will not support him losing parental rights and they have indicated they support him having contact with the children.”
Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook also wrote a letter to the Department of Children and Families recommending Rylan’s siblings not be placed back in the custody of their father.
Cook wrote that at the time law enforcement was notified about Rylan’s death, his body “was showing signs of decomposition.”
“This is based on the circumstances and delay of reporting Rylan’s death, the deplorable home conditions and the presence of drug paraphernalia in the home,” wrote Cook. “These items included burnt spoons, syringe tops, empty pill bottles and devices used for smoothing meth and marijuana.”
The News4Jax I-TEAM reached out to Cook to understand why this case prompted her to write a letter to DCF. In an email to our station, a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said Cook “felt moved to write the letter on behalf of the other children involved” and that investigators “continue to be open to investigating any new information that comes to light in this case.”
The attorney for Rylan’s father in the dependency case for their children has not returned our calls and emails about the case. Our request to speak with him remains open. This week, a judge will consider, and could possibly make a decision, on whether their father can see his children in supervised visits.
“How in the world can there not be charges? How is this not negligent?” asked Rylan’s mother. “I’m not just an angry mother looking for revenge. I am trying to protect my other children.”