A Long Beach mother is suing Los Angeles County’s child welfare agency, arguing officials failed to step in as her 14-month-old daughter allegedly endured prolonged abuse that ended in her death. The lawsuit claims the Department of Children and Family Services ignored repeated red flags and left the girl in a home that relatives and at least one investigator had already flagged as dangerous. The civil case is unfolding while prosecutors pursue murder and torture charges against the child’s father and stepmother.
What the complaint alleges
The lawsuit, filed by the child’s biological mother, Alexis Servin, alleges that county social workers and supervisors “knew or should have known” that the Muñoz household posed an extreme and foreseeable danger but failed to promptly remove the girl, according to KTLA. The complaint states that a south-county DCFS dependency investigator sent an email in March 2025 warning that the placement presented “extreme dangers,” and that relatives repeatedly reported the child’s hair loss and weight loss without seeing action from the agency. The suit seeks damages and contends that DCFS inaction was a substantial factor in the infant’s death.
Charges and the homicide investigation
Los Angeles County prosecutors have charged 40-year-old Alfredo Muñoz Jr. and 34-year-old Kelly Anelalani Muñoz with murder, torture and assault on a child causing death, according to a press release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The DA’s statement says the child, identified in court papers as Tilly S., was admitted to Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach on Nov. 7 and later died after being placed on life support. “The tragic death of this little girl is a heartbreaking reminder of the sacred responsibility we all share to protect our children from harm,” District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in the release. Bail was set at roughly $3.03 million for each defendant.
Autopsy and alleged pattern of injuries
The complaint, along with court documents, describes what investigators say were catastrophic injuries consistent with repeated, inflicted trauma. An autopsy found acute blunt head trauma with skull fractures, multiple hemorrhages, a severe spinal cord injury and multiple skeletal fractures, including several that were healing at different stages, according to KTLA. Prosecutors allege that the range and timing of the injuries show they were not accidental. Those claims form part of the foundation for both the criminal case and the civil action against the county.
Custody history and prior convictions
Court records reviewed by the Long Beach Post show that Tilly was born on Sept. 29, 2024, and that custody was transferred to Alfredo Muñoz in June after a judge granted him sole parental rights. The Post also reports that court transcripts indicate both Muñozes have prior child abuse convictions from 2021. Relatives told the outlet they had not seen the baby for months before her November hospitalization and said they had hoped to seek more visitation but never got the opportunity.
County liability and past cases
This new lawsuit lands in the middle of broader criticism of DCFS, following other high-profile failures that led to legal action and costly payouts. In 2025, Los Angeles County agreed to a $20 million settlement in a separate child welfare case that critics said exposed systemic oversight problems, according to AP. Attorneys for Servin argue that the current complaint targets not only individual workers’ alleged negligence but also broader policies and practices that they say leave vulnerable children exposed to serious harm.
What’s next
The civil suit filed by Alexis Servin is pending in Los Angeles County Superior Court, while the DA’s Family Violence Division’s Complex Child Abuse Section continues to prosecute the criminal case, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Both cases are expected to involve extensive discovery, potential expert testimony and hearings that could stretch out over many months. For now, the overlapping court battles have renewed public debate over how quickly child welfare agencies respond when investigators and relatives raise repeated red flags.
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