AUGUSTA – Deeply troubled by the recent death of a 5-year-old Chelsea girl in foster care, a legislator from Bangor is calling for a federal investigation into the case.

State Sen. Tom Sawyer, a Republican, said Thursday that he was circulating a petition among fellow legislators requesting that the inspector general’s office for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services determine whether statutes were followed properly and whether they should be changed as a result of the fatality.

“I’m making no accusations, I’m not looking for anyone to be fired,” Sawyer said. “I have no interest in shutting down the department or dismantling child protective services. I just think when there’s a fatality within the system, it’s appropriate for somebody not connected with the system to investigate.”

Foster parent Sally Schofield, 39, of Chelsea, a former DHS caseworker, has been charged with manslaughter in the death of Logan Marr who was bound with duct tape and left alone in a basement. An autopsy later determined that she died from asphyxiation.

Sawyer said Thursday that he plans to submit the petition and an accompanying letter early next week to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ office in Augusta.

Sawyer also asked that the investigation include the case of 4-year-old Michaela Corbin-Bumbord, an Augusta girl with cystic fibrosis who was removed from her family because she wasn’t gaining weight.

“I fear her case offers all the symptoms of a potential tragedy,” he said in the letter to Collins.

As of Friday afternoon, between 70 and 100 legislators had signed the petition, according to Sawyer’s assistant.

In a faxed statement, Collins’ press secretary, Felicia Knight, said it would be unusual for a federal official to be involved in a state matter.

“If, however, upon completion of the state’s and the Legislature’s investigations, it is determined that federal assistance is required, then we won’t hesitate to pursue the involvement of the Inspector General,” Knight said.

DHS spokesman David Winslow declined Friday to comment. Sawyer is “a well-respected, elected official and it’s his prerogative,” is all he would say.

Commissioner Kevin Concannon met Friday with the Health and Human Services Committee, according to Winslow, who said the commissioner answered questions about caseload numbers and vacancy rates. Another meeting is scheduled in two weeks.

Legislators’ reactions to his petition have been positive, according to Sawyer.

“The responses have ranged from, ‘it’s about time – I’m so glad you’re doing this,’ to ‘I think you’re right – but I’m not going to sign it,'” he said Thursday.

Senate President Pro Tempore Rick Bennett planned to add his name to the petition, according to his assistant.

“He thinks the enormity of the situation calls for these questions to be raised … the Logan Marr case was such a huge breach that the public’s trust is in jeopardy,” Chris Jackson said Friday.

Sawyer also sent a copy of the letter to Gov. Angus King, whose spokesman said Friday that the governor would wait until DHS concludes its review.

“The governor also made the point that as tragic as this is, there’s no evidence yet that the system broke down and that there’s an epidemic,” spokesman John Ripley said. “If mistakes were made, the review hopefully will find them and they’ll be fixed.”

As part of a periodic review, federal investigators issued a report last year in which they pointed out that nearly half of Maine’s foster homes failed to get timely licensing reviews, that homes had been cited for fire hazards and contaminated water, and that allegations of abuse sometimes went unchecked for years.

But Winslow said the department corrected those violations and they are irrelevant to the latest problem.

A caseworker should have visited the Schofield home in December or January and investigated the child’s complaint that the foster mother had treated her roughly, Winslow conceded.

But neither of those mistakes contributed to the death of the child, he said.

The department is taking “a critical look at the case” and trying to understand why the visit wasn’t made and whether Schofield was treated differently because she was a former DHS caseworker, Winslow said.

Because the inspector general recently reviewed the department, Sawyer said, “it seemed logical … that [using] an independent body with some familiarity with the department would be the fairest.”

“It needs to be at the federal level, it’s unfair to ask any institution to investigate themselves,” he said.