Daycare director in Round Lake Beach says she warned DCFS before 8-year-old’s death

ROUND LAKE BEACH, Ill. - A daycare director in Round Lake Beach says she noticed troubling signs in an 8-year-old boy months before his death and tried to warn the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

The backstory:

Police say Markell Pierce, 8, was found unresponsive inside a home in the 1900 block of Cedar Lake Road around 2:05 p.m. Friday. Officers arrived first and began CPR before paramedics transported him to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where he was pronounced dead.

First responders reported that he appeared malnourished and had bruising on his body, prompting police to request assistance from the Lake County Major Crime Task Force.

Markell’s mother, Dominique Servant, 33, and her boyfriend, 38-year-old Joey L. Ruffin, are now charged with first-degree murder and child endangerment. A judge ruled Monday that both will remain in jail while awaiting trial.

Prosecutors allege the pair "engaged in a long-term pattern of mental and physical abuse" of the child, describing the abuse as "not impulsive" and carried out over "an extended period with knowledge and planning." Authorities also said a 10-year-old child was found living in the same home and had to be hospitalized for malnourishment and abuse.

An autopsy was conducted Friday. While evidence of injuries and malnourishment was observed, the coroner said preliminary findings are pending additional laboratory and forensic testing.

Daycare director says she raised concerns months earlier

What they're saying:

New details on Tuesday now raise questions about whether warning signs were missed.

Carrie Pinske, a daycare director, says Markell and his sister were enrolled at her facility from January through April of 2025. She says Markell was always hungry, often eating three or four times a day, and that she noticed concerning patches of missing hair on the back of his head.

Pinske says someone contacted DCFS with concerns about Markell’s well-being, and that DCFS later contacted her directly. She says she spoke with the agency and shared what she had observed.

Pinske says one moment in particular stood out to her while watching Markell interact with his mother when she picked him up.

"We have good portions, and they'd have first and seconds and thirds," Pinske said. "One of the red flags was as they were leaving they had another snack. What was strange is mom would grab it and throw it on the table and said ‘Don't act like you're not fed’ and he'd put his head down and walk down the hallway with her."

Pinske says this case has really affected her, often wondering if there was something else she could have done.

Looking back now, she says all the signs were there. Both the mother and her boyfriend are due back in court March 3, 2026.

"I'm sure that everybody is looking at it like how did this happen underneath everyone's nose and it went unseen, but it was unseen because they withdrew their children from the world," she said.

"It's not as easy as it seems. A lot of people are like, if you see it, you report it. Once the parents get that tip off, DCFS is onto something. They disappear from everybody's view and that's exactly what happened here," Pinske said. 

Children removed from daycare days later

Pinske says just three days after speaking with DCFS, Markell and his sister were abruptly pulled from the daycare.

She says she was later told the children were being homeschooled, allegedly because their mother was "sick" of repeated calls made to DCFS.

DCFS response

DCFS previously said the family was not receiving services at the time of Markell’s death. In a statement, the agency said it is working with law enforcement but is limited in what it can share due to the active investigation and state law.

"The death of a child is profoundly heartbreaking, especially when the alleged perpetrators are the ones that are supposed to protect and care for the child," a DCFS spokesperson said, adding that the department cannot comment further on the specifics of the case.

Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart called Markell’s death preventable and said investigators are continuing to work toward accountability.