Shaniya had spent most of the past three or four years living with Lockhart at his home in northern Cumberland County. Lockhart characterized his recent relationship with Antoinette Davis as typical of one between parents in a split family.
Lockhart is a contractor who often works out of state. He said Shaniya had been staying with her mother since Oct. 9 while he was gone. His sister, Carey Lockhart-Davis,
said Shaniya had split her time between her and Antoinette Davis since then.
Those caring for Lockhart's older children say he knew Davis' home was not safe for Shaniya and that he should not have allowed her to stay there.
Tim Allen has been caring for Lockhart's 17-year-old daughter, Cheyenne, since July. Cheyenne lives with Allen and his daughters, with whom she attends Pine Forest High School.
Allen said Lockhart agreed Oct. 1 to let Shaniya stay with his family at night while Lockhart was gone and for her to spend the days at a day care run by Allen's mother. A day later, Allen said, Lockhart told him he had changed his mind.
"He said he knew she wasn't supposed to be over there, but he wanted to give her biological mother a chance," Allen said. On Oct. 3, Lockhart left town, Allen said, returning the day Shaniya went missing.
Cheyenne said she didn't have much contact with Shaniya's mother, but Cheyenne never thought she was capable of her alleged involvement in the girl's disappearance.
But she said her father knew of problems in the Davis home.
"He knew Antoinette wasn't capable of taking care of Shaniya," Cheyenne said.
Lockhart has said that Davis had been holding a steady job and that he wanted her to have a relationship with her daughter. He said twice during Tuesday's news conference that he didn't know the entire situation involving Davis and the Department of Social Services.
Cheyenne is one of three children Lockhart had with his wife of seven years, Vickie Sue Lockhart.
In 1998, Vickie Sue Lockhart was murdered along with her 19-year-old sister at a home on Graham Road. The two women were bound, gagged and shot with a shotgun in what police said was a robbery.
Three others also were shot; one, 24-year-old David Epps, also died. Two men were later convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Since the murders,
Cheyenne and her brothers stayed mostly with their grandparents, Byron and Phyllis Coleman, in the Remington subdivision behind Seventy-First High School.
"We've had a lot of tragedy in our family," said Byron Coleman, Vickie Sue Lockhart's father.
Coleman said he was angry about Shaniya's death.
"He knew the situation with this girl," Coleman said. "He knew the kind of environment.
"Why take Shaniya back to a woman like that? That's the stupidest thing I ever heard."
The Colemans and Brad Lockhart have been on opposing sides in several lawsuits in recent years, most of which were dismissed. A case filed in 1998 resulted in the Colemans being granted custody of their grandchildren and child support in 2007, according to court files.
Before Shaniya's death, Lockhart was paying child support on three children,
including Shaniya and two of the children from his marriage.
"I would have kept Shaniya, but he never asked me," Phyllis Coleman said. "After all, I kept his (other) three children.''
http://fayobserver.com/Articles/2009/11/18/953110
BBM
A few questions:
1. CL says that Shaniya spent her time between HER and AD. Why did she not know the child was not enrolled in school? Why didn't SHE notice the cigarette burns? If the baby was being abused, she should have seen signs.
2. If the Grandparents knew AD was no good, why didn't BL?
3. Why didn't he let Shaniya stay with them?!?
There is definitely something odd going on here...
arrot:
