GUILTY VA - Janyiha Whiteman, 11 months, Virginia Beach, 1 Oct 2011

[belimom]

If there were no visible wounds (gunshots, knife, etc.) on her body, they can't declare it a homicide because she could have just been left there and died of exposure. Police don't decide cause of death, the ME does, so they have no choice but to say it was suspicious. Maybe this was the reporter's choice of words, not LE's.

bbm

I'm pretty clueless about specific nomenclature regarding charges, but it seems to me that leaving an infant to die of exposure would be a homicide...? If not, what would the charge be?

 

[TxLady2]

Based on all that the God Mother said Janyiha's mother believed she could trust this man. He had behaved like a father. Taken care of her, fed her, diappered her, loved her. Its hard to understand what happened. Drugs? Alcholol? Neglect?

I guess in time we will know. I don't believe her mother left her thinking he wouldn't take care of her. I think she really believed he would care for her since he had been doing that all along.

God bless her in her grief. I hope and pray this will be life changing for her and she'll get her life in order now.

I agree. She may not have had a choice at the time, maybe no one else was around when she went to jail.
People still have a right to grieve, even if they were indirectly responsible.

 

[TxLady2]

bbm

I'm pretty clueless about specific nomenclature regarding charges, but it seems to me that leaving an infant to die of exposure would be a homicide...? If not, what would the charge be?

Sorry, I wasn't talking about the charges, I was talking about the report that her death was suspicious when they found her. Trying to explain that the ME has to rule cause and manner of death after they examine the body.
More than likely, they haven't decided charges yet, that will be up to a DA.

 

[nursebeeme]

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/10/missing-va-beach-infant-now-treated-suspicious-death

 

[nursebeeme]

Whiteman said the first couple weeks that she was in jail seemed to go okay. Family members, who live in Colony Mobile Home Park where she and Smith shared a trailer, saw Smith and and Janyiha on a regular basis.
Relatives told her they started noticing a lot of traffic going in and out of the couple's home, alleging that, among other things, Smith had prostitutes in the trailer. Whiteman told 13News the family members asked Smith to give Janyiha to them, but he didn't. Whitman said she filled out 3 affidavits while in jail expressing her desire for Smith to give her daughter to her relatives. By the beginning of October, however, Smith and Janyiha were gone.

Whiteman explained police brought her in, because Smith refused to open up to anyone except her.
"He's telling me my baby, he was asleep in the bed with the child, and when he woke up, supposedly, Janyiha was not breathing. He said he tried to bring her back, CPR. Nothing. He never called the ambulance," shared Whiteman. "He said he got really scared, and he wrapped the baby up, and I don't know how he got her there, whether it was with a stroller or what, and, then, he told me where I could locate her body at."
Whiteman told 13News officers found her daughter's body in the parking garage of a hotel at the Oceanfront.

http://www.wvec.com/news/Mom-says-boyfriend-led-her-police-to-daughters-body-132361798.html

so then he leaves the baby on the filthy floor of a parking garage???:furious::furious::furious::furious::furious::furious:

 

[JeannieC]

http://www.wvec.com/news/Mom-says-boyfriend-led-her-police-to-daughters-body-132361798.html

so then he leaves the baby on the filthy floor of a parking garage???:furious::furious::furious::furious::furious::furious:

This is so horrible. She tried to get her baby moved and no one did anything and now she's dead.

For him to leave her in a filthy parking garage is unbelievable. He had something to hide and didn't want to get caught. I wonder if he shook her?

That precious little baby.

 

[belimom]

I'm not buying his story. MOO

:furious:

 

[pinkfly]

Recipe for disaster = leaving a baby girl with an unrelated man while you go to prison.

Since he told the mother that he woke up and she was dead in bed with him, my mind has gone to very bad places and I fear that it was worse than we have heard.

R I P little Janyiha

 

[nursebeeme]

well, at least he told them where her body was... could you imagine if he pulled a "lopez" (aka William's case)

I don't buy any of his story either.

 

[cc81]

Like I've wondered before, how long had the body been in the parking garage? I truly will be shocked if it had been there for longer than a couple of hours... unless he found the "perfect" hiding spot..
Also, would love to know when/what day, he woke up to the baby not breathing next to him?

 

[cc81]

If I were the mothers family, I would be beating down that door to check on that baby. Especially if no one had heard from him and mother was supposedly signing papers that she wanted him to give up the baby... Where were the welfare checks?!? Family certainly could of gotten off their butts and picked up a phone to call LE and try to get them to check on baby!!! Sorry, but this child was failed in so many ways!!!!!!

 

[mikeysmommom]

If I were the mothers family, I would be beating down that door to check on that baby. Especially if no one had heard from him and mother was supposedly signing papers that she wanted him to give up the baby... Where were the welfare checks?!? Family certainly could of gotten off their butts and picked up a phone to call LE and try to get them to check on baby!!! Sorry, but this child was failed in so many ways!!!!!!

Yes they all failed this child,esp the mother when she allowed this trash into her home and bed.Sorry but it just is not in me anymore to feel sorry for the mothers who put their child in harms way.My tears fall only for the innocent victims of these women and any they bring into their home and bed.Pregnant by one man but living with another all in a short time span is a recipe for disaster.He probably was living off her state money,he could not have been working or he would not have been home to watch the baby.I just hope she was not abused by this .My mom God rest her soul,had 3 daughters and when her marriage broke up,she had boyfriends but she never had anyone move in nor did she ever trust anyone alone with us.She had something that today's young moms just do not have1. She put us first 2. She had common sense!

 

[mikeysmommom]

This is so horrible. She tried to get her baby moved and no one did anything and now she's dead.

For him to leave her in a filthy parking garage is unbelievable. He had something to hide and didn't want to get caught. I wonder if he shook her?

That precious little baby.

Too little too late IMO.She left her with him she knew what kind of he was,too bad she did not put her baby before drugs, and a .It was her responsibility to tell them when she was arrested no one in the family would take her child.She should have had CPS take her baby ti she was released but she most likely did not want them in her business because of the life style it seems she was living.I bet she was on assistance and if she lost custody of her baby there went her check,food stamps,rental assistance.Poor baby.

 

[SinKittyVixen]

Poor lil baby.. ugh..I dont buy his story, I hope lil Janyiha was found early enough for the ME to find her cause of death.

I just dont believe she 'stopped breathing' Accidents (sids) happens. Why dump her like that? no, I dont buy it. She needs justice, imo.

 

[Shelby2]

Based on all that the God Mother said Janyiha's mother believed she could trust this man. He had behaved like a father. Taken care of her, fed her, diappered her, loved her. Its hard to understand what happened. Drugs? Alcholol? Neglect?

I guess in time we will know. I don't believe her mother left her thinking he wouldn't take care of her. I think she really believed he would care for her since he had been doing that all along.

God bless her in her grief. I hope and pray this will be life changing for her and she'll get her life in order now.

I stand by what I said, just don't feel we know enough to judge mom and say 'she's not entitled to her grief', however, my post seems to have disappeared.

 

[Shelby2]

Yes they all failed this child,esp the mother when she allowed this trash into her home and bed.Sorry but it just is not in me anymore to feel sorry for the mothers who put their child in harms way.My tears fall only for the innocent victims of these women and any they bring into their home and bed.Pregnant by one man but living with another all in a short time span is a recipe for disaster.He probably was living off her state money,he could not have been working or he would not have been home to watch the baby.I just hope she was not abused by this .My mom God rest her soul,had 3 daughters and when her marriage broke up,she had boyfriends but she never had anyone move in nor did she ever trust anyone alone with us.She had something that today's young moms just do not have1. She put us first 2. She had common sense!

Nothing to do with 'todays' young moms. I know plenty of women of all ages who were sexually/emotionally/physically abused by their own fathers or step fathers while mom looked the other way.
I would just like to reserve judging THIS mom until I know why. Didn't she go to jail because of a probation violation-did that stem from selling pot? Do we know when she was arrested for that?

 

[cc81]

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/10/police-identifying-childs-body-could-take-weeks

Determining the identity of a child's body found in an Oceanfront parking garage early Friday could take several weeks, police said Monday.

Officers found the remains on the fifth floor of the garage of the Country Inn & Suites on Atlantic Avenue and sent them to the medical examiner's office for an autopsy, which typically takes a day or two. But the medical examiner could not visually confirm the body's identity and will have to do DNA testing, which can take several weeks,

Police will release the cause of death when the identity is confirmed

 

[belimom]

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/10/police-identifying-childs-body-could-take-weeks


Officers found the remains on the fifth floor of the garage of the Country Inn & Suites on Atlantic Avenue and sent them to the medical examiner's office for an autopsy, which typically takes a day or two. But the medical examiner could not visually confirm the body's identity and will have to do DNA testing, which can take several weeks,

(snipped)

bbm

What? Oh my. What did he DO to this poor baby? :cry:

(ETA: I'm also thinking of rodents but I really don't want to go there... :no

 

[cc81]

I think it was something he did.. I just find it hard to believe she was there long enough to be attacked by rodents... unless she was actually in a spot that her body was hidden, then later moved to the more open location of the parking garage.

 

[cc81]

http://www.wtkr.com/news/wtkr-virginia-beach-police-search-for-10monthold-baby-girl-20111020,0,2848731.story

Lawrence Ray Smith, Jr. has been charged with child abuse, neglect and concealment of a dead body.

The charges are in relation to actions police say he took while he was supposed to be caring for Jeniyah, a baby was found in a parking garage on Atlantic Avenue at the oceanfront two weeks ago, but the medical examiner has yet to positively identify that body.