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

[cvaldez1975]

im glad they released another pic of her. I was beginning to think there weren't any

More documents released in the case of Janiya Thomas

The Department of Children and Families just released more documents in the case of 11-year-old Janiya Thomas.

In the hundreds of pages of documents there was one common thread, abuse.

Keishanna Thomas’ children accused her of beating them. They said they were terrified of her.

One chilling line in the report is when one of the children whispers, “Please don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me,” to a child protective services worker.

The pile of pages paints a grim picture inside of Keishanna’s home and it also shows us how her own mother tried to find Janiya.

In the report, the grandmother said she kept Janiya at her home up until sometime in 2014 before Keishanna took her away. The grandmother described Janiya as a black china doll and her favorite. She even asked if CPS workers could find the 11-year-old and bring her by so she could kiss her.

http://www.baynews9.com/content/new...ticles/bn9/2015/10/29/janiya_thomas_case.html

 

[tlcya]

One child was said to have a physical disability and Janiya we know had health issue (the bowel problems caused by unnamed medical condition)

I would imagine those two variables would bring additional resources (beyond the usual WIC, SNAP, Housing, etc) to bear.

 

[Elainera]

It's perplexing. She clearly got no joy from motherhood -- so why not go ahead and let DCFS take the kids? It more or less absolves her of all responsibility, right? She can go right back to wallowing in her filth with her latest paramour and not having any kind of kids underfoot or in the bathroom. Simple enough, you'd think.

There are people who get joy from abusing others, preferably those who are weaker and dependent.

Clearly this woman belongs to this group.

 

[pepelepolecat]

Janiya's eyes are both beautiful and hauntingly sad.

So many people failed her and her siblings. This is one case that just makes me so sick every time I come back to it. Just absolutely sick.

 

[ClaireNC]

What a beautiful girl. Just posting the other photo of her for all to see.

http://www.baynews9.com/content/new...ticles/bn9/2015/10/29/janiya_thomas_case.html

 

[borndem]

She is beautiful -- who fixed her hair and found that little dress for her? Oh, it brings tears to my eyes -- really. Earrings and little clutch. So sad. What that little girl must have held inside -- so much pain she could not tell anyone. There was no one to tell.

Just dayam.

 

[Elainera]

Wow so beautiful and so much sadness in her face

Do we know what was the cod? I bet she was beaten and fell or something ....

Oh so terribly sad

 

[borndem]

It's perplexing. She clearly got no joy from motherhood -- so why not go ahe)ad and let DCFS take the kids? It more or less absolves her of all responsibility, right? She can go right back to wallowing in her filth with her latest paramour and not having any kind of kids underfoot or in the bathroom. Simple enough, you'd think.

I assume she was eligible for WIC and for Aid to Dependent Children (or whatever it is called in Florida) and maybe subsidized housing. Those are a big help when you aren't working. Please forgive if I am mistaken.

 

[SCHMAE]

She is beautiful -- who fixed her hair and found that little dress for her? Oh, it brings tears to my eyes -- really. Earrings and little clutch. So sad. What that little girl must have held inside -- so much pain she could not tell anyone. There was no one to tell.

Just dayam.

She is beautiful. Just a doll and now a little angel.

 

[charminglane]

Somehow I think it's going to get worse.
I just feel it.
Those children are going to feel free and able to speak of arocities that their own birthing thing did to them or made them do.
It is evil and it will pay.

 

[Steleheart]

There's no monthly checks coming if that happens and unfortunately, "parents" like KT view having children, especially her two with disabilities (more money) as a source of income. A transaction completely devoid of the natural instincts and emotions normal parents have when raising a child.

Thank you.
The reality of what you say escapes the minds of right thinking people who keep asking the same thing. It IS simple - poor women are essentially paid by the state to have babies.
They are not paid to love them.
So the state is left to check on them but they are not paid enough either.
It's broken.

MOO

 

[Elainera]

But mom was working iirc. At Walmart was it?

 

[Steleheart]

But mom was working iirc. At Walmart was it?

Yes she was working at Walmart. That is where her son got in trouble and subsequently made a complain against her.
Did she earn enough to support all her children? Was she full time, part time, overtime, executive? People who collect SSI are still allowed to earn an income. SSI EBT, Wic, et al are income based. We don't know her income. My post was that in general it is not as simple as proposing that mothers simply need to love their children or give them up.

MOO

 

[MsMarple]

Long article outlining the timeline of the investigation of Janiya's disappearance. Ugh.

Investigators asked Thomas on Sept. 23 why Janiya was not home, according to the DCF reports.

"The mother stated she wasn't in the home as she was at a family member's house," Child Protective Investigator Danielle McCoy wrote in one report. "CPS asked who the family member was but the mother stated it did not matter."
...
From Sept. 25 until Oct. 3, the reports only notes refer to uploading a referral, taking one of the children to the doctor and email correspondence between investigators and DCF.
...
On Oct. 5, the notes show investigators asked Thomas again about Janiya's whereabouts.

"The mother stated she was with someone on her father's side of the family and last the mother knew the child was in New Jersey," McCoy wrote in the report.
...
On Oct. 9, Thomas was called by an investigator to follow-up on the location, and Thomas did not answer. Thomas also failed to show up for an interview at the Bradenton Police Department in reference to the allegations of abuse.

On Oct. 15, investigators went to Thomas' home and job in unsuccessful attempts to meet with her. Later that day, investigators met with Janiya's grandmother.
...
On Oct. 16, Thomas appeared in court and received the motion to produce Janiya, according to the report. Thomas invoked her right to remain silent and was detained. On that date, the case notes state, CPS made the request to put an alert out for Janiya.

http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article41919414.html

 

[bluesneakers]

And this back and forth went on for a year.

Oh Janiya. I'm sorry.

 

[MsMarple]

Another long article; it just makes me madder and madder! :furious:

BRADENTON -- A Department of Children and Families case manager thought there was an "intermediate" risk to Keishanna Thomas' children, but recommended the case be closed due to non-compliance anyway in June 2014, reports released Monday by DCF show.
...
The same case manager had asked Janiya where she went to school, despite previous DCF reports showing she was homeschooled. The child responded that she went to Sea Breeze Elementary -- something the school district has no record of. That detail is never questioned in the May and June reports, which were the last known dates that an investigator saw Janiya alive. Bradenton Police Chief Michael Radzilowski said Monday he is still waiting on a cause of death for Janiya, at which point additional charges may be filed against Keishanna Thomas.

http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article42251325.html

It seems like Keishanna "instructed" her children to lie about anything and everything. Poor kids must have been terrified of her and her temper! And not one of these trained professionals ever picked up on it? I get that they're overloaded and underpaid but you'd think that they'd be carefully observing a child's statements and reactions during interviews.

And while it was too late by then, Keishanna's statement that "It doesn't matter" when asked where Janiya was should have been the biggest and reddest red flag yet the social worker just reported it matter of factly. What gives?

 

[tlcya]

very frustrating to read that non-compliance and being difficult got cases closed that should not have been. IMO non-compliance should have garnered MORE attention and involvement from the agency not less.

 

[borndem]

Thank you.
The reality of what you say escapes the minds of right thinking people who keep asking the same thing. It IS simple - poor women are essentially paid by the state to have babies.
They are not paid to love them.

So the state is left to check on them but they are not paid enough either.
It's broken.

MOO

bbm

That sentence was like a punch to the gut. Please know that I am not complaining -- or disputing -- it's just so true. Those seven words put it where it is. Oh, my. So true, so true, and little Janiya and her siblings are just a few of the many, many children who are in such a situation.

They are not paid to love them.

SMH. You got it right.
Tears, again.

 

[slashkiss]

very frustrating to read that non-compliance and being difficult got cases closed that should not have been. IMO non-compliance should have garnered MORE attention and involvement from the agency not less.

I work for Child Protective Services in Texas and unfortunately we see this a lot. If a parent is non-compliant and uncooperative the only recourse we have is to file with the court system for a Motion to Investigate/Participate where we have the parents subpoenaed to court so a Judge can court order them to cooperate. The issue with this is our Assistant district Attorneys hold the power whether to pursue the case or not. Often they tell us to close the case and just mark that the family was not cooperative so if we receive another report we can try again with the court. If the ADA does approve the motion to move forward then we still have to get the family to show up for the court hearing in order for the judge to order cooperation. Often the family ignores the subpoena and doesn't show up for court so the Judge dismisses the case. It is a terribly flawed system and I know Texas is currently working to try and fix some of the issues but it is too little too late in most cases.

The child welfare system is under-paid, under-staffed and over- worked. I hear story after story from the caseworkers where they are giving up time with their own families on night and weekends to try and do what is best for the children on their workloads but unfortunately people can only give so much of themselves. The caseworkers generally mean well but with this job every decision can mean life or death for a child so if a caseworker misses a visit with the family they end up blamed and dragged across the coals if something happens to a child. It isn't their fault that the parents abused their child but they do get blamed and have to live with the guilt that they could have done more. The responsibility for ensuring a child is safe should always lie first and foremost in the hands of the parents and family members caring for that child. The child welfare system is there to help but it will never be able to monitor and provides services to these families 24 hours a day.

*I have been a supervisor for CPS and am now currently working behind the scenes in a Quality Assurance position trying to make changes to policy which in turn should help with achieving permanency for our kids in foster care and ensuring the safety and well-being of those both in foster care and those left in the home with their families where services are being provided.

 

[tlcya]

thanks for your perspective slashkiss. I must say, from what I have seen of the job, I do not envy any person who is trying to do it. While I do think there is a great deal of burn out and apathy in CPS I have no problem acknowledging that there are plenty of hard working, overwhelmed caseworkers who are fighting what I see as a losing battle trying to ensure the safety of our most vulnerable victims of violence.

It is a daunting task that I do not at all think I would be up to. I guess that is why we hear of so much turnover.