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Butler County Remembers Marcus Fiesel

Tana Weingartner
/
WVXU
Butler County case worker Joseph Beumer stands beside a tree that will be planted in Marcus Fiesel's memory at Butler County Children Services.

It's been ten years since Marcus Fiesel was murdered by his foster parents. The three-year-old's death led to large scale changes at Butler County Children Services, and at the state level.

During a remembrance ceremony Friday morning in Hamilton, Fiesel's case worker, Joseph Beumer, spoke with tears in his eyes.

"Since the death of Marcus," he says, "I have been determined to have the legacy of Marcus live on forever through my work here at Butler County. Each and every day that I come into work, I do that in hopes of making positive changes so that he will never be forgotten."

Beumer says he's considered changing careers, but realizes helping children is what he believes he's meant to do.

"I continue to work my job, in hoping that I can continue keeping his legacy alive," Beumer says. "Marcus wasn't able to speak, he was non-verbal at the time of his death, and, therefore, I feel like my voice needs to be the one that is going to make a difference in the lives of a lot of kids."

Next week, Children Services employees will plant a tree outside their building in Fiesel's memory. The agency's director says vast changes over the last ten years have led to it consistently receiving top reviews from the state. More importantly, William Morrison says, no other Butler County children have died at the hands of their foster parents.

Senior Editor and reporter at WVXU with more than 20 years experience in public radio; formerly news and public affairs producer with WMUB. Would really like to meet your dog.