GUILTY FL - Janiya Thomas, 11, Bradenton, Jan 2015

[BUF]

MANATEE -- Keishanna Thomas still refused to talk to a judge Thursday about her 11-year-old daughter Janiya, who is now presumed dead.

Circuit Judge Diana Moreland on Thursday morning again ordered Thomas to be jailed for contempt of court when she refused to talk. Her lawyer,Assistant Public Defender Franklin Roberts, said he had advised Thomas to answer the judge's questions.

http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article40825257.html

 

[ClaireNC]

Do we know if they have told the "mother" that they found the body yet? Early on it was reported that they had not told her, but were trying to get her to talk first.

Little Janiya is weighing heavy on my heart. RIP sweet angel.

 

[Steleheart]

Blaming a politician over the person who made bad choices and eventually ended up with a dead child in their freezer? I'm sorry but I don't see how this is any politician or lawmaker's fault. Some people are just sick.

Political because it is about the funding. I know many people in the field and they think that when a democrat is in office there is more money for social services. Then, on the other hand, they complain that when the funding is available it goes to the directors and not to hiring of additional staff. DUH.

Well that's politics.

The actual social workers end up still overloaded and under paid. That's why the directors and politicians should be the ones jailed. To me that is a better "tongue-in-cheek" wish than ripping out the reproductive organs of low income, drug addicted, criminal mothers who are also victims of a system that entices them to have children they cannot or will not care for and end up killing. Rachelle Bond Collected a check for the whole time that Bella Bond was missing.

For however long Janiya was in the freezer her criminal murdering mother was collecting the check.

If the politicians want to give a check to criminal mothers they need to give more money to the people who should be checking on them.

Economics is under the control of the people we vote for, like it or not. "We" meaning the people who actually vote.

ETA: FWIW this woman needs to spend the rest of her life in prison, but that doesn't solve he problem does it.

MOO!

 

[tlcya]

When asked where their sister was, none of the siblings could answer, the report states. "I don't know where she is," her brother said. "One day we went to school and came back, she was just gone."

http://www.people.com/article/janiya-thomas-mom-punished-daughter-locking-bathroom

One child told them that Thomas punished Janiya for soiling herself by leaving her inside a bathroom for long periods of time.


When asked how long, the child said it was a week or so - with Janiya even eating in the bathroom.


He added his mother slept in the front room so she could catch Janiya if she tried to sneak out at night.


When asked how the girl celebrated her birthday last year, the child said Janiya just stayed in the bathroom.
One child said the mother used a belt and punched Janiya.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ol-one-day-never-saw-again.html#ixzz3pJG0HZKL


Police presume the body found is Janiya but Hayslett said the complete autopsy results may take a while.

"DNA will take days if not weeks. So don't expect DNA to come back tomorrow, expect it a month from now," he said.

http://www.baynews9.com/content/new...cles/bn9/2015/10/21/janiya_thomas_autops.html

 

[BUF]

Thank you for the links Ticya. The more I read, the sadder this gets.

Will she ever talk?


http://www.baynews9.com/content/new...cles/bn9/2015/10/21/janiya_thomas_autops.html

Legal analyst Kevin Hayslett is not working this case but he said Thomas' silence doesn't surprise him.

"The question is how long can she be held for refusing to answer those questions? At some point, we might find this in the hands of the Second District Court of Appeals to have them weigh in on whether or not she can continue to be held," Hayslett said.
.....
Hayslett said it could become difficult for prosecutors to keep Thomas in jail on the contempt charges alone.

"If the only evidence they have is an unidentified body, they may not be able to connect the dots to allow probably cause for that judge to hold her," he said.

 

[cvaldez1975]

something tells me the mother was threatening and workers didn't want to work w her. imagine how the kids felt...

How does this even happen? SOMEONE has to answer for this. So, if you refuse to cooperate then clearly there isn't an issue - so sorry we bothered you? If someone refuses to cooperate that should call for MORE pressure from the state, not less. Doesn't anyone have common sense anymore?

And now we're hearing they'd been involved 13 times? I'm sure it was all just one big misunderstanding after another. Nothing to see here folks, move along. Just how many times does it take for someone to be investigated before someone saves these poor babies from these horrific lives?

Can you imagine being those kids? I'm sure there had to be a place in their heart that was relieved to know that there was a possibility of someone coming to their rescue - to get them out of that hell hole. Only to be failed again by adults. Ones whose job it is to protect the vulnerable. They had to be completely heartbroken every time the worker left - knowing the fallout was coming. Did they lay in their beds at night sending up prayers for someone to help? Hoping that maybe one person would see through all this and take them to safety?

No...it took their mother KILLING their sister and shoving her body in a freezer for OVER A YEAR for help to come. That's just not right. We can't continue to allow these babies cries to go ignored...

 

[cvaldez1975]

well she gets her way every other time she throws a fit, why not now?

Thank you for the links Ticya. The more I read, the sadder this gets.

Will she ever talk?


http://www.baynews9.com/content/new...cles/bn9/2015/10/21/janiya_thomas_autops.html

Legal analyst Kevin Hayslett is not working this case but he said Thomas' silence doesn't surprise him.

"The question is how long can she be held for refusing to answer those questions? At some point, we might find this in the hands of the Second District Court of Appeals to have them weigh in on whether or not she can continue to be held," Hayslett said.
.....
Hayslett said it could become difficult for prosecutors to keep Thomas in jail on the contempt charges alone.

"If the only evidence they have is an unidentified body, they may not be able to connect the dots to allow probably cause for that judge to hold her," he said.

 

[ClaireNC]

Bump...not letting little Janiya fall down to page 2.

 

[MsMarple]

MANATEE -- Police have charged Janiya Thomas' mother with abuse of a dead body in the case surrounding the presumed death of the missing 11-year-old Bradenton girl.

Detectives obtained a signed warrant charging Keishanna Thomas with abuse of a dead body, also known as "Caylee's Law," after the daughter of Casey Anthony, and were taking it to the Manatee County jail where she will be served, Bradenton Police Chief Michael Radzilowski told the Bradenton Herald at about 4:20 p.m. Thursday.

http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article40825257.html

No official confirmation of her identity yet though - that's expected to happen next week.

 

[MsMarple]

FYI, Caylee's Law went into effect in 2012, making it a third degree felony offense for persons who knowingly and willfully provide false information with the intent to mislead or impede a law enforcement officer in a missing person investigation involving a child 16 years of age or younger, and such child suffers great bodily harm, permanent disability, permanent disfigurement, or death.

It was an amendment to a prior law which made it a first degree misdemeanor for the same offense. I had to look it up so I hope I got it right.

ETA: conviction = up to 5 years.

 

[cvaldez1975]

why not murder? because they don't have COD yet?

MANATEE -- Police have charged Janiya Thomas' mother with abuse of a dead body in the case surrounding the presumed death of the missing 11-year-old Bradenton girl.

Detectives obtained a signed warrant charging Keishanna Thomas with abuse of a dead body, also known as "Caylee's Law," after the daughter of Casey Anthony, and were taking it to the Manatee County jail where she will be served, Bradenton Police Chief Michael Radzilowski told the Bradenton Herald at about 4:20 p.m. Thursday.

http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article40825257.html

No official confirmation of her identity yet though - that's expected to happen next week.

 

[MsMarple]

why not murder? because they don't have COD yet?

Yeah, I think that's it, plus the ME hasn't even officially confirmed it's Janiya yet. There was likely enough probable cause for the new charge just based on a body being found in Keishanna's freezer and a presumption it's the missing child. That's probably all they can do until a positive ID and COD is released.

I think the contempt of court charge was wearing thin and so the new charge (hopefully) guarantees they'll be able to continue holding her. Her bond for the child abuse case is 75k so she could potentially come up with $7500 and be released if the contempt charge is dropped.

She's due back in court tomorrow afternoon.

"They are pretty sure they know who it is and know the cause of death, but they need to make sure they have medical findings that confirm their beliefs," Radzilowski said.

Thomas, who now is charged with abuse of a dead body, contempt of court, aggravated child abuse and child abuse, will appear in court at 1 p.m. Friday on the abuse of dead body charge.

http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article40825257.html

 

[Steleheart]

Yeah, I think that's it, plus the ME hasn't even officially confirmed it's Janiya yet. There was likely enough probable cause for the new charge just based on a body being found in Keishanna's freezer and a presumption it's the missing child. That's probably all they can do until a positive ID and COD is released.

I think the contempt of court charge was wearing thin and so the new charge (hopefully) guarantees they'll be able to continue holding her. Her bond for the child abuse case is 75k so she could potentially come up with $7500 and be released if the contempt charge is dropped.

She's due back in court tomorrow afternoon.

"They are pretty sure they know who it is and know the cause of death, but they need to make sure they have medical findings that confirm their beliefs," Radzilowski said.

Thomas, who now is charged with abuse of a dead body, contempt of court, aggravated child abuse and child abuse, will appear in court at 1 p.m. Friday on the abuse of dead body charge.

http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article40825257.html

I am not seeing a reference to the 75k bond in the link you posted. Am I missing it or was it in another story? Are you sure it is a bond and not cash bail? Can you point me to a quote or a link so that I can understand which it is? Thanks so much!

 

[MsMarple]

I am not seeing a reference to the 75k bond in the link you posted. Am I missing it or was it in another story? Are you sure it is a bond and not cash bail? Can you point me to a quote or a link so that I can understand which it is? Thanks so much!

Judge Diana Moreland ordered a $75,000 bond on Keishanna Thomas for the child abuse charge, and she is still being held without bond on a contempt of court charge for refusing to reveal the location of her missing daughter.

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article40081161.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article40081161.html

Does cash bail mean she'd have to come up with the entire amount?

 

[Steleheart]

Judge Diana Moreland ordered a $75,000 bond on Keishanna Thomas for the child abuse charge, and she is still being held without bond on a contempt of court charge for refusing to reveal the location of her missing daughter.

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article40081161.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article40081161.html

Does cash bail mean she'd have to come up with the entire amount?

Thanks - I did not see that in the first link. Reporters are notorious for exchanging terms regarding Bail. There are 3 kinds of bail AFAIK, None, Bond and Cash. I have seen reporters state a "cash bond" while sitting right in the same room as me and hearing the same words as me as "bail is set in the amount of x Dollars Cash ".
A bond means the accused gets to come up with a portion with an affidavit promising to pay to the bond company the full amount should s/he default.
A bail set at x Dollars Cash means exactly that. Cash. The full amount. So I have my doubts the reporter got it right if the judge is serious in holding her with a child in a freezer that was moved to another location. Anyone can come up with the bond in that case and can you say flight risk?
While the contempt charge was questionable at best, her lawyer did an extremely poor job of explaining the 5th amendment aspect of her refusal to answer. Firstly she was not even under arrest. Neither could she be charged with impeding an investigation since her refusal was based on her right to not incriminate herself.


MOO

 

[ClaireNC]

Looking at the Manatee Clerk website, it looks like she also has a $25,000 bond on the child abuse charge involving her son. So there is one aggregated child abuse charge dated as June 10, 2014 that has a $75,000 bond and one from September 23, 2015 on her son for $25,000 bond. Now they are adding the abuse of a dead body, with bond/bail yet to be set. It looks like they are piling on charges to hold her until they can get a murder case together that they are sure will stick.

And to clarify, it does say Bond for both of the abuse charges.

Link to the abuse on her son.
http://www.manateeclerk.org/PublicRecords/CourtRecordsSearch/tabid/57/ctl/detail/mid/484/Default.aspx?enc=MTk1MDA1NQ%3d%3d-Niy9fOIl3to%3d

Link to the aggregated child abuse on June 10, 2014 - (assume it is for Janiya)
http://www.manateeclerk.org/PublicRecords/CourtRecordsSearch/tabid/57/ctl/detail/mid/484/Default.aspx?enc=MTk0OTYyNg%3d%3d-Yn5lxI7934k%3d

 

[Ontario Mom]

She worked at WalMart. Realistically, how many WM employees have several thousands of dollars sitting around they can use to post bond with? My guess would be probably none. I think they're just charging her with everything they CAN, until the ME releases his/her findings.

 

[ClaireNC]

She worked at WalMart. Realistically, how many WM employees have several thousands of dollars sitting around they can use to post bond with? My guess would be probably none. I think they're just charging her with everything they CAN, until the ME releases his/her findings.

I agree that she probably doesn't have the money to post bond, but you never know she might have a friend/relative that is willing to bail her out. Also she most likely receives some kind of state and/or federal benefits for each of the children. (I'm not sure what benefits are available, but I'm sure she gets something.) So there might also be charges filed for the benefits she received on Janiya for the past year or so.

 

[Ontario Mom]

I agree that she probably doesn't have the money to post bond, but you never know she might have a friend/relative that is willing to bail her out. Also she most likely receives some kind of state and/or federal benefits for each of the children. (I'm not sure what benefits are available, but I'm sure she gets something.) So there might also be charges filed for the benefits she received on Janiya for the past year or so.

Well she certainly couldn't have admitted on any legal documents that Janiya was deceased, so any kind of benefits or tax credits she was receiving... there's more charges there, of fraud. Pile them on, I say. Charge her with everything legally possible. She's earned it.

 

[rosesforann]

"According to a warrant affidavit obtained Thursday evening by the Bradenton Herald, the frozen body of a small black child was contorted to fit in a small cardboard box within the freezer, along with two boxes of baking soda. No other items were in the freezer.

The warrant affidavit sheds light on an exchange between Thomas and a resident of the home where she reportedly dropped the freezer off last week. According to the document, the occupant asked Thomas why the freezer was locked. Thomas said she didn't want the occupant to steal her meat. The occupant also asked Thomas why she was plugging it in and Thomas replied she didn't want her meat to go bad.

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article40825257.html#storylink=cpy

That'd explain why it wasn't easy to positively ID the body on sight. This is so upsetting. I agree, that "mother" needs every charge they can possibly pin on her.