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

[BUF]

It must be extremely difficult for CPS to deal with people like KT who have been in the system so long and know just how to work it.

Look at KT now. She still refuses to talk about what happened to Janiya. She also knew how to bully her children into silence.

I hope that safeguards can someday be put in place, so these tragedies can stop.

 

[MsMarple]

It must be extremely difficult for CPS to deal with people like KT who have been in the system so long and know just how to work it.

Look at KT now. She still refuses to talk about what happened to Janiya. She also knew how to bully her children into silence.

I hope that safeguards can someday be put in place, so these tragedies can stop.

I agree that it's difficult - slashkiss' excellent post explained the hoops that children's services have to jump through - but I think this particular case was extreme and should have been handled better. There really was no gray area here and DCF had already determined that the children were in "intermediate danger." The oldest child had been removed once. The reports outline horrendous abuse - bleach burns, scalding water, belt marks from beatings, overwhelming body odor, maggots on the kitchen floor...

I understand that there's a fine line between protecting children and stepping on the rights of the parents but when parents can get away with treating their kids like disposable objects then it's pretty clear that the state needs to step in.

ETA: The link to the newest report has changed to this one:

http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article42644052.html

 

[BUF]

Four agencies were involved...

http://wfla.com/2015/11/03/new-records-show-confusion-in-janiya-thomas-abuse-case/

First you have to understand how the child protection bureaucracy worked regarding the Thomas family and other families in Manatee County.

DCF contracts with the Manatee Sheriff’s Office child protection team and Safe Children Coalition to investigate abuse and deliver family services. In this case, the Child Safety Coalition contracted with still another private agency called Youth and Family Alternatives to deliver boots on the ground social services directly to the Thomas family.

In other words, when several abuse and neglect allegations involving Keishanna Thomas surfaced last year—the most recent in a 14-year string of such allegations—all four agencies had a hand in evaluating the danger to Thomas’ children, deciding what kind of intervention was appropriate and delivering social services.

 

[Steleheart]

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.

Money can't buy love.

The law cannot legislate love.

 

[U2forever]

Kim Kuizon FOX 13 ‏@kkuizon
Keishanna Thomas has been tested by DCF and @ManateeSheriff they say she is NOT pregnant @FOX13News #Bradenton

Welp, of course she's not knocked-up. She is just pulling a Tammy Moorer I'm preggers, get me outta here stunt. Yuck, suck it up Kieshanna, where you going? NOWHERE, that's where.


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[Ontario Mom]

Welp, of course she's not knocked-up. She is just pulling a Tammy Moorer I'm preggers, get me outta here stunt. Yuck, suck it up Kieshanna, where you going? NOWHERE, that's where.


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I followed that case for a long time but didn't keep up with it. Did it turn out she actually was pregnant? I was kind of shocked to see they actually got out on bond. UGH.

 

[U2forever]

I followed that case for a long time but didn't keep up with it. Did it turn out she actually was pregnant? I was kind of shocked to see they actually got out on bond. UGH.

Nope, not pregnant, just a flakey fakey!


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[Vail]

I really never thought I would read anything worse than Danielle's story, but reading those reports and comprehending the life of misery Janiya suffered has totally cracked me. I hope Keishana gets life without parole.

 

[rosie_lee]

ABC Action News (@abcactionnews): https://twitter.com/abcactionnews?s=09

BREAKING: Charges upped for Keishanna Thomas, mother of 11-year-old #JaniyaThomas. Details at 4 on @TheNowTampaBay https://t.co/wNTRgxew6C

 

[MsMarple]

Assistant State Attorney Art Brown confirmed Thursday afternoon that the two charges involving Janiya have been formally filed.

The medical examiner's office has yet to release results of an autopsy on Janiya's body.

"The investigation in the death is still ongoing," Brown said.

http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article43229376.html

So basically these are the same charges but now they are "formally" filed. I'm pretty sure they're going to be upped to some sort of murder charge soon, even if they can't find an exact COD. Or I hope so anyway..

 

[borndem]

I really never thought I would read anything worse than Danielle's story, but reading those reports and comprehending the life of misery Janiya suffered has totally cracked me. I hope Keishana gets life without parole.

Thanks for sharing the link to Danielle's story. Somehow I have never heard about it. So I got lost in it. SMH. Oh, the things her mother stole from her: speech, food, clothing, potty training, blocks, Legos, love, being rocked to sleep, new shoes, closeness, play, cuddling, smiling, eating food that was at her age level, pink pajamas, tea parties, learning to read in 1st grade, being loved, patty-cake, hearing & singing songs, cartoons, Golden Books, Curious George, Ferdinand, Madeleine, birthdays and birthday cake, baby dolls, how to moo like a cow or meow like a cat, playing house in a big cardboard box, mud pies, sugar cookies, laughter, kisses on her stomach, and I could list one thousand more.

Well, she is loved now, well cared-for, and knows what being happy is, but some of those things in my list she will never have and will never have memories of them. Speech recognition and imitation of speech comes naturally the first 36 months of life, and it is slow if not nearly impossible later -- it's a phenomenon that we all share. SMH. But, again, she is happy and surrounded by love and security and real people who care. An amazing victory.

 

[perfectingpink]

Janiya, I am sorry we failed you.

[video=youtube;KtNYA4pAGjI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtNYA4pAGjI[/video]

 

[Ontario Mom]

I really never thought I would read anything worse than Danielle's story, but reading those reports and comprehending the life of misery Janiya suffered has totally cracked me. I hope Keishana gets life without parole.

Not much surprises me anymore and I almost never cry over these cases but Dani's story messed me up this morning. I'd never heard of her until now. Thank God for her adoptive parents and the love they've poured into this girl's life! Thank you for sharing this link.

 

[BUF]

I am shocked and heartbroken at stories as Janiya's and so many others. I cannot understand how someone can torture, abuse, and murder these children. Sometimes I look at the WS board and just weep.

Danielle's story was another heartbreaking one. Thank you for sharing it Vail. I am happy to hear that these loving people stepped in to parent her. I wish that someone could have done the same for Janiya.

 

[MsMarple]

MANATEE -- The morning after Janiya Thomas' body was discovered in a freezer, a supervisor with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office Child Protective Investigative Division emailed an investigator that there wasn't much more they could have done, because they knew Janiya "had been dead for a long time."
...
"The only thing I can think of was maybe have ad (sic) the staffing sooner but we all know she had been dead for a long time so we couldn't have saved her but I know we saved the other kids and that's what is keeping me going," Kall wrote.
...
McCoy emailed back to ask, "Can I go back and check and update if something appears to be missing even though it is already closed?"

Kall responded that she could, adding, "We did all the right steps, it's just now I know it's going to be looked at closely. I'm just so sad today. We can all support each other."

http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article43323249.html

 

[BUF]

Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube addresses Janiya case

It is a sad day when we have to discuss the death of a precious child. I have listened and read comments from legislators, media outlets and members of the public regarding the death of Janiya Thomas and the abuse/neglect investigations involving her siblings. What concerns me is the lack of information that each has, yet many are quick with negative comments, wanting to point fingers and place blame.

More at link....

http://www.bradenton.com/opinion/article43452102.html

 

[tlcya]

MANATEE -- Janiya Thomas was not the first child in 2015 to die despite prior investigations of their family by child protective services in Manatee County.
Ginobli "Nobi" Yarn, 9, died in Rubonia after he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle on the street on July 4.

[...]

There are a total of five child death cases in Manatee County so far in 2015 where child protective services was involved with the family in the prior five years. Of those, Nobi's and Janiya's families had contact with child protective services within the prior year.

http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/article43470555.html

timeline of events

http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article42544329.html

 

[sallye818]

I really never thought I would read anything worse than Danielle's story, but reading those reports and comprehending the life of misery Janiya suffered has totally cracked me. I hope Keishana gets life without parole.

The thing about Dani's story...we have hope! There is nothing left here on earth for Janiya...but let's pray that her siblings will have lives like Dani has been given. Not all foster parents are cruel, most are selfless and amazing like these, thanks be to God!!

 

[borndem]

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

Yes, you're correct -- she was working at Walmart -- I forgot that she was. I'm thinking part-time. That would probably enable her to still collect whatever benefits were available from the county, state or Fed gov'ts.

Walmart says about half of its hourly-wage workers work part time, and that percentage can be even higher at other retailers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/26/business/next-goal-for-walmart-workers-more-hours.html

 

[CrazytownUSA]

I really never thought I would read anything worse than Danielle's story, but reading those reports and comprehending the life of misery Janiya suffered has totally cracked me. I hope Keishana gets life without parole.

I'm just catching up with Janiya's case, which is horrifying... and then reading Dani's story, which I can't believe I had not heard about. These cases are gut-wrenching. My heart aches for all of these children that never knew love, and only pain. In a very sad way, Janiya escaped her pain and now flies with the angels... children like Dani, and Lauren Kavanaugh, and so many others, have that pain trapped somewhere within them and I don't know how they ever escape it Death is too good for people like this that harm and torture children...