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Family Photo “Sham investigations” by state child welfare workers emboldened Rica Rountree’s abusers to continue the abuse that led to her death in January 2019, according to a federal lawsuit filed by the child’s estate. The 8-year-old Normal girl died of internal injuries linked to blows to her abdomen, according to an autopsy report that also noted more than 60 scars and marks on her body. The girl’s father, Richard Rountree, was convicted of child endangerment, and his girlfriend, Cynthia Baker, is serving a life sentence for murder. Both are named in the lawsuit that includes eight state workers, the Department of Children and Family Services and the State of Illinois. ....