The Journal-Constitution has examined the case files of hundreds of Georgia children who died after child protective services workers received allegations concerning abuse or neglect in their families. Included in these hundreds are the 13 cases whose records were swept up by the GBI Tuesday.

In this unprecedented review of previously secret files, reporter Jane O. Hansen adds up how children died while the Department of Family and Children Services (DFACS) was supposedly watching over them. Her analysis shows that while the children were alive, state officials repeatedly violated policy and procedure in terms of their care. It shows many of the children lived in homes where families had a history of neglect, or of drug or alcohol abuse, and that these warning signs were ignored. And it shows that while former DFACS head Michael Thurmond alleged "all but a few" of these children died from natural causes, that is not true.

In late 1997, the Journal-Constitution went to court to force the state to make public its records on children who had died after DFACS opened a file in their name. The records eventually turned over files on 844 deaths between 1993 and 1998.

Working with these files, reporter Hansen has written two special reports:

On Oct. 17, 1999, "Did 5-year-old Terrell have to die?" recounted the story of Terrell Peterson of Fulton County, dead after a long period of physical abuse and torture. DFACS officials covered up their failure to investigate complaints of abuse against him. A grandmother and aunt have been charged with his murder.

On Dec. 5, "Georgia's Forgotten Children" described the secrecy that surrounds the work of DFACS and recounted how reforms in this area passed by the Georgia Legislature 10 years ago have basically failed to protect children.

THIS SUNDAY, IN A THIRD SPECIAL REPORT, an analysis of the files shows that these children's lives were road maps to disaster. Whether they died directly from abuse or from "accidents," far too many did not need to die.