A civil lawsuit filed against Riverside County last month alleges that social workers were aware of allegations of abuse being inflicted on 8-year-old Noah McIntosh nearly two years before the boy’s death but failed to properly investigate and intervene to protect him.

The boy’s father, Bryce McIntosh, is awaiting trial on torture and murder charges in connection with his son’s death last year. Noah’s mother, Jillian Godfrey, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of child endangerment in December.

Noah was reported missing by his mother in March 2019 after years of “horrific abuse and neglect” at the hands of his father that on at least three occasions triggered referrals by Riverside County Child Protective Services, according to the lawsuit. Despite an intense search that produced many incriminating clues, Noah’s body has not been found.

The lawsuit, filed in Riverside County Superior Court on behalf of Noah’s older sister, who is a minor, names the county and five social workers who attorneys contend violated the state’s Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and breached their duties when they failed to protect the girl and her brother.

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