Washington Girl Mistakenly Listed As Drowning Victim

By: What's in a name? In the case of Dondus White, whose daughter Alexis was mistaken for a girl who drowned about 100 miles away, erroneous condolence calls and missed child support payments.

White told The Wenatchee World the $218 payments were revoked after a caseworker in the state Department of Social and Health Services read in a Seattle newspaper about the death of an 11-year-old girl named Alexis White on July 5 at Steel Lake in Federal Way, a suburb between Seattle and Tacoma.

First she checked with her own 11-year-old daughter's father, who had not missed a payment in four years.

"After he found out what was happening with DSHS, he was really upset too," White said.

"Someone took an assumption and went with that assumption without checking facts like Social Security numbers and birthdays, and that was wrong," she said. "It made me feel like they aren't doing a thorough job."

After repeated telephone calls to the state agency in Olympia, White convinced officials of the error last week and was told that the three missed checks will be made up and that regular payments should resume soon.

"I don't know how a mistake like this could have been made, and it definitely is a regrettable mistake," Jim Stevenson, an agency spokesman told the newspaper. "I'm just very glad it could be remedied."

White said there was no hardship from missing the payments, which are made by her daughter's father and are processed through the state agency, "but what if it was a family that counted on that money to live off of and eat?"

As it happens, the caseworker was not the only person who confused the two girls.

"I've been getting phone calls and people have stopped me in stores and told me how sorry they are to hear about Alexis," White said, adding that she is concerned about what will happen after the start of school if teachers and students also are confused.

"My condolences to the family that lost their little girl," she said, "but my daughter is alive and well."