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Alameda County launches independent investigation into Sophia Mason case

By KTVU Staff
Published  May 24, 2023 12:55pm PDT
Alameda County
KTVU FOX 2

Alameda County launches investigation into Sophia Mason case

Alameda County has launched an independent investigation into the handling of the Sophia Mason case.

HAYWARD, Calif. - Alameda County has launched an independent investigation into the death of an 8-year-old girl from Hayward.

Sophia Mason was found dead in a bathtub in Merced in March of last year after she had been reported missing out of Hayward by family members.

Authorities arrested and charged the girl's mother, Samantha Johnson, and the woman's boyfriend, Dhante Jackson, in her death.

RELATED: 3 women accused of helping alleged killer of 8-year-old Sophia Mason evade police

Alameda County Board of Supervisors said the case highlighted systemic failures in the way the county's Department of Child and Family Services handles reports of child abuse.

Supervisors voted on Tuesday to authorize and investigation into the county's handling of the case.

Sophia's grandmother also filed a lawsuit in April accusing the department of not properly investigating complaints of abuse or neglect.