A small gathering assembled Wednesday evening at Wythogan Park in Knox, for a candlelighting vigil that marked the second anniversary of the death of 4-year-old Judah Morgan. 

The boy was tortured before being found murdered at the home of his biological parents on October 11, 2021 in rural Hamlet, during what was supposed to have been a six-month home trial under the supervision of Indiana DCS. 

Earlier this week a federal lawsuit connected to the boy's murder was filed, seeking damages for the actions of the DCS workers associated in Judah's supervision. 

During the candlelighting, Judah was remembered as a happy little boy, who brought light to the Hullett home for more than three years. This past June, in honor of what would have been Judah's sixth birthday, his foster parents, Jenna and Phil Hullett, and siblings, buried Judah's ashes at Wythogan Park during a tree burial ceremony. The park had been one of the boy's favorite places to go. The location for his official burial site in the tree at Wythogan Park also brings meaning of hope to the Hullett family, symbolizing life after death, with the still thriving tree.

Last November Judah's biological father, Alan Morgan, was sentenced to 70 years in prison for the murder. His biological mother, Mary Yoder, is scheduled to be sentenced in November, after pleading guilty in August for charges of neglect of a dependent and domestic battery. 

Since Judah's 2021 death, the Hullett's have never stopped fighting for justice. The Hullett's continue to claim Judah's death was preventable, and that Indiana DCS had ignored the many red flags given prior to placing the toddler back into the hands of his biological parents. 

A lawsuit was filed on Monday, October 9, in the US District Court Northern District of Indiana, seeking damages for the actions of three Indiana Department of Child Services employees. The suit focuses on the DCS workers having been 'reckless' with 'deliberate indifference and intentional disregard of their duties.' 

The three case workers in the suit, Michele Stowers, Michelle Goebel and Jean Dressen, were workers who were assigned to, or had some type of direct responsibility in Judah's case prior to his death. Leading up to Judah's placement, his biological parents already had a lengthy history in the court system, including substantial claims of both child and drug abuse. 

The suit states that Jean Dressen had been Judah's family case manager with Indiana DCS, and lived less than 1,500 feet from the home that Judah had been tortured and murdered in. Michele Stowers had been a family case manager supervisor in 2021, while Michelle Goebel was the director of LaPorte County DCS who supervised Dressen and Stowers.

The suit argues the three workers did not give Judah his 'rights and protections afforded to all people.' It further explains that the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution states 'no state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.' The suit claims the DCS workers should have been held up to those standards as an employee under the state.  

The lawsuit is taking specific aim at Dressen's negligent conduct, arguing that Dressen also had direction under the knowledge, or at least consent, of her supervisors Goebel and Stowers. It also accuses Goebel and Stowers of turning a blind eye to Judah's case, knowing about Dressen's misconduct and neglect that contributed to the boy's death. The suit stated, 'their actions emboldened and encouraged Alan Morgan and Mary Yoder to neglect, torture, and abuse Judah Morgan before his death in 2021.'

Judah had been a 'Child in Need of Services' since his birth on June 17, 2017, when he became a ward of DCS directly, and was put under their care immediately leaving the hospital instead of going home with his biological parents. DCS was also aware that Alan Morgan had previous charges with domestic violence.

In an interview with Jenna Hullett in 2021, Hullett told WROI GIANT fm news about previous violence in the home that had been admitted by the parents, happening against Judah's oldest brother prior to Judah's birth. 

Despite this, DCS never sought or obtained a psychological assessment on Morgan. The DCS workers are accused of turning a blind eye to the ongoing abuse, that was reported and ignored, as well as setting a below average living stardards for how the biological parents kept their children and home. 

The dozens of accusations on the trio included failing to perform court ordered drug tests on the parents, not informing court appointed special advocates (CASA) in advance of the home trial with Judah's biological parents, and allegedly failing to do a court ordered assessment bond. 

During her interview with us in 2021, Hullett also had claimed her family had been wanting to adopt Judah in the years prior to Judah's tragedy, but was strung along with lies by DCS. 

Jenna Hullett requested that DCS pay general damages to her family as well. This includes the emotional distress the Hullett's had endured since losing Judah. An amount will be decided at a later time. The three DCS workers are also requested to pay special damages to the plantiff.