GUILTY AL - Natalie, 5, & Jonathan DeBlase, 3, beaten, poisoned, Mobile, 1 March 2010

[hollye]

Ala. woman in custody in Louisville for missing kids case

http://www.whas11.com/news/local/Al...isville-for-missing-kids-case--111159969.html

The last place the children could be accounted for was at an extended stay hotel in Mobile, Ala. back in July.

Heather Leavell-Keaton will be arraigned on the child abuse charges Thursday morning.

According to the video in the link above, they left the hotel on July 23rd and left a forwarding address in Rome GA. Witnesses say that they saw Natalie the day they moved, but did not see Jonathan.

Authorities have tracked them through parts of Rome GA and Louisville KY. They learned that Heather Leavell-Keaton was pregnant when they moved to a home in south Louisville. Neighbors never saw the children arrive when the couple moved in during the summer. The father, John DeBlase, was last seen in Louisville about 2 weeks ago.

 

[hollye]

Heather Leavell-Keaton

http://www.wkrg.com/alabama/article/two-children-missing-feared-dead/1202988/Dec-01-2010_5-17-pm/

There is a comment at the link above from someone claiming to know the couple (nikki0103).

 

[hollye]

Can we hope that the father possibly took off with the children to get away from the abusive step-mother?

Prayers for these sweet children and their father!

 

[Lunar1121]

WOW just WOW! Hollye I am really hoping that, but as the kids weren't seen at all after moving to KY it just doesn't sound good. My thing is, alllll this time the grandparents and mom never tried to contact the kids via phone? You would think that if they had, and were repeatedly shut out or given an excuse, they would have become suspicious. Can their family be that estranged from everyone else?! Man, this is just not good!

 

[ABeautifulRide]

The Peach Place Inn is a dive. I personally would be worried for my safety in that place and would NEVER stay there with children. I'm really worried for those babies.

 

[Cazzie]

What adorable kids! This doesn't sound good. So nice to hear LE saying they won't investigate...NOT.

 

[hollye]

Okay, here's a map of what I have so far... http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...677,-85.764744&spn=0.001811,0.003264&t=h&z=19

I am not sure whether they were staying at the Peach Tree Inn at the 8350 Jeff Hamilton Road address or the 1450 Leroy Stevens Road address, as they have shown both in the videos that I have seen. Regardless, they are only down the street from each other, as far as I can tell.

I found an address listing for Heather Keaton, which is the same address as her mother and the same house shown in the video of the home they were staying at in Louisville, so I am assuming that they moved in with Heather's mother, when they moved to Louisville. There are also 2 other women listed for that address.

Does anyone have any addresses for Rome GA? It doesn't sound like they were there long and moved around a bit.

 

[belfastgirl73]

I wonder why the kids were staying with the dad and stepmom? Did the bio mother or no one else from her family try to contact the kids in all that time? If they did and were getting blown off you would think that they would have become suspicious and worried? I would have been down there like a shot! This all seems very strange. Sadly those two adorable kids have suffered. How can a woman abuse two little kids? And, how can a father stand by and let that happen? I will never understand. Never. :furious:

 

[Angelonline]

My understanding is that the last seen date on the poster is the date the mother last saw them in March. However their are witnesses that saw the girl in July at the hotel. Thus the 4 months vs 9 months question.

 

[Angelonline]

"Peach Place Extended Stay Inn on Jeff Hamilton Road in West Mobile" according to WKRG

 

[KrazeeTimes]

http://www.whas11.com/news/Ala-woman-in-custody-in-Louisville-for-missing-kids-case--111159969.html

 

[Soulmagent]

Is it to much for me to hope the father took the kids to a friend prior to his own move?
And is unaware of the investigation? I pray he took them somewhere away from the abusive step mom.

All these beautiful babies becoming victims of their parents poor choices is really getting to me.

 

[Fyrecat]

Anyone local, can posters be put up if they are not up yet? I have a feeling someone in the Mobile, Al area knows sometihng. Maybe teachers at the school they went to? Is there anyone who lives in the area the children were last seen could put up posters?

My husbands family, who are scattered around the Gulf through Al and Ms. didn't hear anything about this case. I think the word needs to be gotten out!

 

[hollye]

Anyone local, can posters be put up if they are not up yet? I have a feeling someone in the Mobile, Al area knows sometihng. Maybe teachers at the school they went to? Is there anyone who lives in the area the children were last seen could put up posters?

That's a good idea! However, it is quite probable that neither of these children ever attended school. Natalie just turned 5yo last week and Jonathan is just due to turn 4yo at the end of this month. Based on their living conditions and moves, I highly doubt they attended preschool.

 

[Angelonline]

The mothers church has been distributing posters. However, I dont think the children are still in Mobile. I think someone should put up posters in Kentucky and Georgia.

 

[chasing.halos]

The Peach Place Inn is a dive. I personally would be worried for my safety in that place and would NEVER stay there with children. I'm really worried for those babies.

Skip past this post if you don't want to hear a rant lol...

I am so freaking tired of children being in dangerous situations that people in the community don't report or intervene on. I am truly sick and tired of it. We need to watch out for kids, they don't choose who is caring for them and it's our job to protect them. I know all of us here at WS are on the lookout for children in bad situations, but why aren't more people? I just don't understand. We will probably hear from "neighbors" that say something wasn't right... how many times have we heard this? And no, I am not saying that it is the fault of the community if those children have been harmed. The fault rests with the person (if) that harmed them.

These are everyone's kids. And it's just sad to me that they continue to be in harms way.

Okay, end of rant.

 

[Fyrecat]

That's a good idea! However, it is quite probable that neither of these children ever attended school. Natalie just turned 5yo last week and Jonathan is just due to turn 4yo at the end of this month. Based on their living conditions and moves, I highly doubt they attended preschool.

You're probably right.
Scratches head here....wonder if they recieved social services from anywhere. They sound as if they might be considered 'homeless' and in some cities, homeless families are housed in 'inns'.

I hope that detectives speak to alot of folks in that inn. While it may be transient, there have to be some answers....someone must know something!

 

[Fyrecat]

Skip past this post if you don't want to hear a rant lol...

I am so freaking tired of children being in dangerous situations that people in the community don't report or intervene on. I am truly sick and tired of it. We need to watch out for kids, they don't choose who is caring for them and it's our job to protect them. I know all of us here at WS are on the lookout for children in bad situations, but why aren't more people? I just don't understand. We will probably hear from "neighbors" that say something wasn't right... how many times have we heard this? And no, I am not saying that it is the fault of the community if those children have been harmed. The fault rests with the person (if) that harmed them.

These are everyone's kids. And it's just sad to me that they continue to be in harms way.

Okay, end of rant.

OT reply to you!

I agree. I get angry when I see people who have children, who obviously shouldn't have. They can't support them materially, emotionally, psychologically. They don't teach them manners. Many of these parents are very young and not very responsible.

My husband was a father at the age of 18. He held down a job in a shipyard as a pipefitter and then, additionally, started his own buisiness. It can be done. However, he was Married, had a strong family of origin, and was taught at an early age that one accepts responsibility for one's actions.

Children aren't accessories, or dolls. They are Beings, who come into this world and once here, deserve parents who can provide for them. If a parent can't, then they SHOULD be placed for adoption with a family who can't have bio children who can provide.

What scares me lately is that so many children appear to be falling between the cracks. The connection we had growing up of extended family intervening if something was going on is not there.

What can we do to change it?

 

[Fyrecat]

The mothers church has been distributing posters. However, I dont think the children are still in Mobile. I think someone should put up posters in Kentucky and Georgia.

Have they been seen in the other places besides Mobile?

It worries me...did they even make it out of Alabama?

What does Stepmom's family say, i wonder?

 

[sherbetjello]

So many questions in this case, probably too many to ask that will get answers.

1. Where is bio dad?
2. How come, four months ago, when bio mom didn't hear from her children she didn't call the police - right away? (Don't take this question as judgment on bio mom, she could of had issues like KH bio mom and been receiving medical attention out state. Regardless, it is a very big question being a parent myself.)
3. What where the terms of custody? I am without a doubt that living in a hotel would be something the courts/bio parent would have to know about. Is this, or was this reported? Was there ever a custody agreement?
4. How is SM being charged with child abuse?(this question doesn't imply that she isn't guilty of it.) Was there/Is there an open case on the welfare of these children pertaining to SM? If so (and this is how they charged her), how come social services were not doing welfare checks on these children the past 4 months?
5. Is the eldest child of school age? Have they ever been to preschool? Are there records of either child in the public school system?

*tailspins*


I realize that there might not be answers to all my questions, and I only see numbers #1 and #2 the most important outside finding these children today.
Theses cases, and we have seen a few of them lately, I just can not believe it. How can children just fall off the radar from the people and acquaintances that love them? This never, ever computes. Never.