Governor’s office says no formal referral made to CPS regarding 14-year-old Kynnedi Miller

CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Governor Jim Justice’s Chief of Staff Brian Abraham held a press conference Thursday afternoon discussing findings of their investigation into how state agencies handled the case involving the death of Boone County 14-year-old Kynnedi Miller.

Kynnedi Miller was discovered “emaciated to a skeletal state” on April 17th on her bathroom floor.

Kynnedi’s mother and her grandparents have all been arrested in connection to her death.

Abraham was joined by leaders of the West Virginia Department of Health, State Police, and State Board of Education.

State Police did make contact with the 14-year-old in 2023 and confirmed she was in good health at the time with no signs of abuse or neglect.

Abraham stated that no formal referral for abuse and neglect to Child Protective Services (CPS) was filed.

Miller left public school and began homeschooling in 2021 after a year of virtual public school in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Although there was no apparent evidence of abuse and neglect, State Police during a well-check visit, thought the personal opinion of the 14-year-old wanting to be homeschooled due to COVID-19 concerns was a bit “odd,” according to Abraham.

Abraham did confirm that a trooper with the West Virginia State Police visited the Department of Human Services (DoHS) in Boone County and had “informal” contact with staff to discuss the matter but no formal complaint was filed then or after.

Reports have recently surfaced alleging that investigators with CPS visited South Central Regional Jail to interview Kynnedi’s mother, Judy Miller, under the guise of her lawyers.

Abraham refuted the reports and called them “blatantly false.”

Abraham stated that when the investigators visited the jail they presented their agency identification to jail officials and made their identities known to Miller.

He says it was “stupid” for them to go to the jail in the first place. Abraham emphasized that this decision was made on the county level and that it did not go through the state offices.

The case is being handled by Boone County prosecutors.