GUILTY PA - Marcia Poston, 10 mos, fatally injured at Pittsburgh day care, 6 June 2008

[Salem]

This is so sad. I work with second graders. We had one 7-8 year old this past year that had a lot of issues. She was fine, when medicated. Without medication, she was dangerous. I can see a child like that hurting a baby. Our student would tell me that she couldn't control herself. She knew she was going to do something bad. I imagine this girl was a lot like that.

I have a friend that is raising her grand-daughter. The child has many issues and must take medication. She can attend school, but there are guidelines. This child also has "anger-mgmt" issues. The child has attended therapy sessions for the past couple of years.

My friend is quite concerned about what will happen to this child as she ages. So far they have not been able to reduce the medication levels and have not really made any real progress in modifying the child's behavior. My friend thinks at some point this little girl will end up in an institution because she will not be able to care for or control the girl. It is a very sad situation. And yes, the young girl's problems stem from abuse of her parents.

Very sad,

Salem

 

[Roxye]

This whole thing saddens me. We have a seven year old girl, who was already living with her grandmother. A grandmother who apparently ran a daycare. Working for her you have a 20 year old woman who didn't know it was bad to leave children under the age of 10 alone with children under the age of 1, even for a few minutes.

One article says the girl "threw" the baby on the floor, another says she "dropped" her. Which is it? Because honestly, it makes a HUGE difference. If the girl picked up the baby and then dropped her twice in route to the couch, well, it's still not good, but it is a world apart from throwing the baby twice.

Where was the grandmother when all this happened?
Why is the little girl living with grandma to start with?
Is there a history of aggressive behavior in the little girl?
Has she been abused?

Is it possible the little girl was "coached" to say she dropped/threw the little girl?

I know this is a stretch, but could the 20 year old have been at fault? Could that baby have fallen while the woman's back was turned and out of fear she told the little girl to say she dropped the little girl?

There is just so much about this that really bothers me, I can't get it out of my head. Maybe it's because my son is seven. I know he would never intentionally hurt another child, but I also know that sometimes, he does things without understanding the full ramifications of his actions. In the back of my mind, I can't help but think there is a lot about this little girl that just hasn't been released yet, and perhaps never will be, after all she is a child.

Either way, foster care is not the answer to what ever problems she may have. I so fear that this is another child that is going to fall through the cracks in the system just because they don't know what to do with an angry little girl who (either intentional or accidentally) killed another child. If it was an accident, can you imagine the guilt this child will feel as she grows up and fully understands what she has done? And if it was on purpose, well, she'll need more help then a foster parent is going to be able to give.

I want to stomp around and scream every time I see another article stating they can't arrest her because she is too young. Of course they can't arrest her, but GL find a better answer then just ripping her from yet another home and throwing her at what will probably turn out to be a string of other ill equipped (foster) parents.

 

[Linda7NJ]

:clap:

Several factors, including age, cognitive level, and
experience with death, have been shown to influence
the development of death concepts.

IMO the issue isn't whether or not the action could result in death. She KNEW without a doubt that throwing the baby to the floor would HURT and she didn't care. She wanted to hurt that baby and succeeded.

To me THAT is the issue!

 

[southcitymom]

Just because your child understands at 5 doesn't mean that all children understand at 5 or 6 or 7 or hell even 10. Children are so diverse in their understanding of the world around them. They are shaped by their family, their experience and their own social/cognitive skills. No two children are going to be the same. Usually between the ages of 6 to 9 children start to understand death but are often confused and ask lots of questions. How those questions are answered is going to help determine their own understanding of death.

a) a seven year old child raised in a religious family who's attended two funerals of very close relatives.

b) a seven year old child raised in a semi/non religious family who has never attended a funeral nor had anyone in their close family die.

I would expect child a) to have a better understanding of death while b) would probably know the word and even understand what it is suppose to mean but wouldn't yet understand to ramifications of death.

My seven year old son is a smart, caring child, but to him death is still abstract. He hasn't experienced anything remotely like it. (Unless you count losing his goldfish, which he still thinks are swimming in the sewer water.) He just can't wrap his brain around someone he loves being permanent gone from his life.

Example: I just had surgery last Tuesday. He kissed me and told me he would see me afterwards, that I shouldn't worry about dying (he had overheard me talking to his dad) because I was in a hospital and the doctors would put more blood in me and bring me back to life.

I hardly think my son is abnormal by any means. He just hasn't had to deal with death, and until you actually deal with it yourself (at any age) it is hard to grasp the concept.

Excellent post.

 

[twinkiesmom]

One article says the girl "threw" the baby on the floor, another says she "dropped" her. Which is it? Because honestly, it makes a HUGE difference. If the girl picked up the baby and then dropped her twice in route to the couch, well, it's still not good, but it is a world apart from throwing the baby twice.

The police statement about the anger-management problem and the severity of injuries to the baby indicates this was rage-based and not an accident.

 

[AmandaBrown23]

Its just hard for some people to understand that in this day in age children are capable of this.

 

[Mygirlsadie]

It's true some 7 year olds might not understand death but they sure as he** understand 'hurt'.. 7 years old is not a tiny child anymore they are way more then old enough to know better.

 

[TGIRecovered]

I didn't read the article, but my first thoughts were if the sitter had any thing to do with it, and not the seven year old?

Exactly my first thought. I don't believe that the child did this all by herself. The baby would have been making that blood-curdling screech that any adult would immediately recognise as intense pain.

I think that it is far more likely that the adult beat up the baby, then if the baby was still concious, she might have left the 7-yr old alone with the screaming baby until she picked it up and dropped it. That or the child was told to say she did it.

 

[Roxye]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08164/889378-53.stm

Hundreds of mourners packed the Mount Ararat Baptist Church in Larimer yesterday to remember the short life of Marcia Janie Poston.

Marcia was in the care of Bray's Family Day Care on Dearborn Street on Friday when the 7-year-old girl took her from her chair. A caregiver, Ashley Swann, was upstairs changing another child's diaper at the time, according to police. The day care center's operator, Loretta Bray, was away, running an errand.

Investigators are still trying to construct a minute-by-minute account of what happened, and both Ms. Bray and Ms. Swann could face charges.


The 7-year-old girl, who is Ms. Bray's granddaughter, is now in the custody of Allegheny County's Office of Children, Youth and Families.

 

[Roxye]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_572073.html

Poston's injuries -- including a skull fracture -- were too severe to have been an accident, Williams said. He would only say Poston's head was struck "more than once.

The Allegheny County medical examiner said Tuesday that an infant killed at a Garfield day care center suffered "extensive blunt force trauma" to the head. Dr. Karl E. Williams said he issued the statement to answer questions about why he ruled the death of 10-month-old Marcia Poston a homicide instead of an accident.

A 7-year-old girl has admitted throwing Poston to the floor at least twice, city police investigators have said. The floor was cement but covered with a carpet, police said. Poston's injuries -- including a skull fracture -- were too severe to have been an accident, Williams said. He would only say Poston's head was struck "more than once."
story continues below

Despite reports indicating that Poston suffered extensive bruises to her body, Williams said an autopsy showed that "her injuries were almost exclusively head trauma." The 7-year-old, who is undergoing treatment for anger problems, "acknowledged that she picked up the 10-month-old baby (and) threw her to the floor at least two times," city police have said.

 

[twinkiesmom]

Exactly my first thought. I don't believe that the child did this all by herself. The baby would have been making that blood-curdling screech that any adult would immediately recognise as intense pain.

The baby could have been unconscious after the first blow.

 

[evelyn24]

I hate to say this, because I know many moms have to use daycare, but many are just a chaotic unorganized mess when the parents aren't around.
A lot of them are nothing but babysitters in a home that has a license to watch kids.
There are some really good daycare facilities out there, but they are very expensive or have a long waiting list.
Many run of the mill daycares are not that great. I worked in a few during the summer when I was still in high school as an assistant. I have some stories to tell you.
Not abuse stories, but definitely inappropriate things, like "teachers" cursing and screaming in front of the kids etc.

The owner needs to be sued and put out of business.

 

[Meyahna]

Just to get in the mind of someone that age I just asked my son who just turned 8yrs old what would happen if he threw a baby on the floor..he looked at me a little confused and said ''it would die, duh'' I said would you ever do that and he said no mom why are you asking me that? So I told him the story & said the devil was in that kids brain. Sooo I truely believe that 7 year old knew exactly what he/she was doing.

Oh yes she reminds me of Mary Bell except she's even younger. There is no excuse to find a 7 year old for doing that.

 

[pedinurse]

I just have to say this. my 7 year old would know she had done something "bad" right away, and she knows not to do something like that.

MY baby - who is not even two yet... always wants to "hold" newborns when he sees them. He got to hold his first one a few weeks ago (a relative) - and he was so gentle and careful, it was unreal. He carries his "babies" - his sisters old dolls around very carefully.
I'd say that since this child was raised in a daycare, he or she would know not to do that as well... especially since all my "be careful with the baby, Alex!" has made an impression on my 1 year old (who i think is a genius, but then again, I am his mother).
I think that if a 2 year old can get it, a 7 year old can get it.

 

[6angels]

a 7 year old can NOT understand FULLY what was done. She needs to be put in a hospital and receive the help she badly needs. at 7 you can not work, vote ect for a reasson. Your not a adult. Your a child. What she did is horriable bad bad I feel for everyone involved

 

[pedinurse]

a 7 year old can NOT understand FULLY what was done. She needs to be put in a hospital and receive the help she badly needs. at 7 you can not work, vote ect for a reasson. Your not a adult. Your a child. What she did is horriable bad bad I feel for everyone involved

i don't know that they can understand fully what was done, but they know the difference between bad and good (in minimal terms). you can also teach small children - much smaller than 7 - about hurting each other (no bites, no kicks).
by your same rational, what about all the minors who have been tried as adults for murder? some were too young to even work. obviously too young to vote / drink / smoke.
i agree, put her in a hospital and assess the child. some behavior disturbances can be found at a young age.

 

[miimaa]

Oh yes she reminds me of Mary Bell except she's even younger. There is no excuse to find a 7 year old for doing that.

Apparently this 7yo has some problems caused by her family environment. Why was she living with the grandmother? If her own parents abused or abandoned her in some way she has been emotionally damaged. She probably needed one-on-one loving attention from someone. I expect she became jealous of the baby and reacted to that. If this 7yo was not being loved and cared for she'd have no way to deal with those feelings of anger, resentment and jealousy. I'm sure some of you have multiple children and pay equal attention to the older siblings (I realize these two were NOT siblings but you know what I mean... children do get jealous of each other if they do not receive the same amount of affection). Sad sad tragedy for all involved.

 

[LinasK]

Just because your child understands at 5 doesn't mean that all children understand at 5 or 6 or 7 or hell even 10. Children are so diverse in their understanding of the world around them. They are shaped by their family, their experience and their own social/cognitive skills. No two children are going to be the same. Usually between the ages of 6 to 9 children start to understand death but are often confused and ask lots of questions. How those questions are answered is going to help determine their own understanding of death.

a) a seven year old child raised in a religious family who's attended two funerals of very close relatives.

b) a seven year old child raised in a semi/non religious family who has never attended a funeral nor had anyone in their close family die.

I would expect child a) to have a better understanding of death while b) would probably know the word and even understand what it is suppose to mean but wouldn't yet understand to ramifications of death.

My seven year old son is a smart, caring child, but to him death is still abstract. He hasn't experienced anything remotely like it. (Unless you count losing his goldfish, which he still thinks are swimming in the sewer water.) He just can't wrap his brain around someone he loves being permanent gone from his life.

Example: I just had surgery last Tuesday. He kissed me and told me he would see me afterwards, that I shouldn't worry about dying (he had overheard me talking to his dad) because I was in a hospital and the doctors would put more blood in me and bring me back to life.

I hardly think my son is abnormal by any means. He just hasn't had to deal with death, and until you actually deal with it yourself (at any age) it is hard to grasp the concept.

Religion has nothing to do with my 5-year-old getting it. We are by no means religious on a daily basis and we have an interfaith marriage, so although my mother's funeral was religious, my daughter understood about death long before that! By the way, that was her first funeral and first family member to die.

 

[LinasK]

IMO the issue isn't whether or not the action could result in death. She KNEW without a doubt that throwing the baby to the floor would HURT and she didn't care. She wanted to hurt that baby and succeeded.

To me THAT is the issue!

Agreed!:clap:

 

[Roxye]

Religion has nothing to do with my 5-year-old getting it. We are by no means religious on a daily basis and we have an interfaith marriage, so although my mother's funeral was religious, my daughter understood about death long before that! By the way, that was her first funeral and first family member to die.

I am not disputing in your case this is probably true, but studies show that religion plays a huge role in how children understand and deal with death. I guess the key words here are "deal with".