CO - Chandler Grafner, 7, starved to death, Denver, 6 May 2007

[lizzybeth]

In one of the links there was a picture of two women crying with the caption that their children had played with Chandler. Was this before he started to be starved to death? If not, didn't ANYONE notice that he was starving?

I think both of these people should be locked up for life without any bread or water. Let them know just what poor little Chandler went through.

 

[sherri79]

In one of the links there was a picture of two women crying with the caption that their children had played with Chandler. Was this before he started to be starved to death? If not, didn't ANYONE notice that he was starving?

I think both of these people should be locked up for life without any bread or water. Let them know just what poor little Chandler went through.

Four months ago, Phillips convinced a judge he should raise Chandler, calling himself the boy's "psychological father." She says Denver social workers have told her that a child- abuse complaint against Phillips and Berry was made in January but that they found nothing wrong.

Teachers at Holm Elementary School in Denver said Chandler attended the school until early March after a teacher repeatedly reported that he was neglected. "All of us as teachers are extremely frustrated," said Saundra Shidler, a Holm kindergarten teacher.
Younger was told by authorities that Chandler was taken out of school several weeks ago but that his brother was still enrolled.

this info was pulled from this link http://origin.denverpost.com/movies/ci_5858585

what i gather from reading this is in January he got custody of the kids. right away some 1 reported him and nothing was found. in march teachers had reported him many times they say and he was removed from school. so to answer your question did any1 notice. yes it seems the teachers did and the tried to do what the law says.

 

[fran]

Teachers are required to report when they believe a child is being abused. This child's teacher reported several times she believed he was being abused. When the parents withdrew him from school, yet his sibling was still enrolled, this should have been a huge red flag for Children's Services.

IMHO, Children's Services in that area needs to be held accountable for this child's death as well as the two suspects.

Why don't people believe little ones when they say they're afraid or being abused?

This situation is outrageous! I hope they throw the book at those two low-lifes and the grandmother goes after the county for incompetence.

JMHO
fran

 

[Socks]

Poor little man.

 

[angelmom]

I hate to sound like a snob, but reading these articles makes me wonder if these boys wouldn't have been better off if they had been taken from the whole family and put in foster care or adopted! Why does children's services think that sharing DNA makes a person a good parent or grandparent?

Physical abuse, neglect, not watching young children, failing to keep them safe in the most basic ways...these people shouldn't be taking care of anyone's kids.

 

[sherri79]

the verdict just came in on another mom who staved her kid to death. http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49080

 

[ajc2804]

Denver - A private funeral service was scheduled today for a Denver boy who police said was severely malnourished.


Chandler Ashton Grafner, 7, died May 6, about 45 minutes after being transported to a hospital. Officers had responded to his home on a report of an adolescent in cardiac arrest.

His guardians, Sarah Berry, 21, and Jon Phillips, 26, were advised in court Monday that they each would face charges of first-degree murder causing the death of a child under 12, first-degree murder

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_5909754

At the link there's a picture of this sweet little boy


R.I.P Sweet little Chandler

 

[sherri79]

first-degree murder after deliberation and child abuse resulting in death

at least the charges fit.

 

[Mygirlsadie]

Poor poor little boy..If only someone would of helped him. God bless his little heart. I read in one of the articles on the Denver Post that he was a preemie at birth weighing only 3 pounds. He had it hard from the beginning. What a waste of a mother too. I think the more I come to WS and read about these kinds of things the more I really want to get a job with CPS/SS..We really need to get some people in there that care and who will NOT give up on any child ever!

 

[GreenEyedGirl]

Really, they should stop offering money to foster parents without some serious wellness checks.

:clap: :clap: TOTALLY agree!!!!

 

[hipmamajen]

They've released the autopsy on Chandler Grafner. http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=73405

The coroner's office says 7-year-old Chandler Grafner died after suffering from dehydration and starvation.

According to the autopsy report released Monday, Grafner had more than two dozen cuts and bruises on his body.

More at link

 

[Greywing]

This whole situation is just horrendous! After abuse reports by a principal, a school RN nothing was done? Law enforcement trying to do the right thing and having to drop charges because a scared 7 year old boy changes his story to say he fell in the bathtub! WTF ... abused children in initial inteview never lie!

 

[zadari]

ok imho i think child abusers and pedophiles should be put to death .. no second chances . ya i know i sound harsh but look at what we read everyday . if they know death is a for sure thing mabey they will think twice . i have zero tolerance for ANYONE I DONT CARE WHAT THE EXCUSE IS TO HURT OR KILL A CHILD .. the ONLY way i see someone getting out of a death sentance is another child themselves .then they should be put away and hopefully helped

 

[cenasangel]

Ok...... how much is 31 pounds in kilos ??

 

[KatK]

Ok...... how much is 31 pounds in kilos ??

Using the converter on this site I get

31 pound = 14.061 363 47 kilogram

ETA: 1 kilogram = 2.204 622 622 pound

ETA2: I hope the "parents" ROT in prison for this crime! :furious: :behindbar

 

[SadieMae]

On the comments section someone put up this poem...I couldn't stop my tears for little Chandler...


Today there will be silence mom,
no crying will you hear.
I didn't mean to anger you,
I just wanted you near.

Today there will be sleep again,
I won't cry out in vain.
The nights I needed comforting,
were filled with hurt and pain.

How could someone so big and strong,
strike out at little me?
I was a gift, your little boy,
unwanted now, I see.

Today there will be love at last,
l on angels wings I'll soar.
Way up high, above the clouds,
through heavens golden doors.

So momma, say a prayer for me,
for the life I'll never know.
I just wish you could have cared for me,
for I would have loved you so..

Rest in peace little boy.

http://www.topix.net/forum/source/kusa/T4AQL8A6581RIOUSQ/p2

 

[cenasangel]

Ok..... my little girl is 12.70 kilos last time she went to peadiatrician and thats 50th percentile on the growth charts so 14 kilos which is what she weighed at 10 months was BELOW the 3rd percentile and in the danger zone so this little boy..... unless there was a good medical reason for it would have been seriously seriously under weight, way way of the growth charts.

 

[Boyzmomee]

I am not saying the parents didn't starve this child, but my 8 yr old only weighs 40 lbs, and he eats well. My 5yr old weighs 30lbs & my 4 yr old weighs 27lbs, besides being small they are very healthy. They are just naturally small like I was at their age. That being said, I hope that these people pay dearly for whatever pain and suffering this child had to endure.

I agree. My 17 year old son is 5' 11" and weighs 120 lbs. And no, he is not diabetic and does not have a tape worm. He eat's constantly and is very healthy per his doctor. However, this child was clearly starved.

 

[Boyzmomee]

This whole situation is just horrendous! After abuse reports by a principal, a school RN nothing was done? !

I'm a social worker and made a report on a home that was beyond filthy. My client was in placement but his siblings were in the home. He was so obese at age 6 that he had to use oxygen. He was extremely impacted with fecal matter.

Anyway, CPS went out and did nothing. A neighbor called the SPCA for the animals and they made the family remove the animals.

The home wasn't fit for animals but apparently was fit for kids.

 

[hipmamajen]

Chandler's parents just entered a plea of "not guilty."

http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=80375

A couple charged with murder and child abuse in the death of a 7-year-old entered a not guilty plea Monday.

According to the Denver District Attorney's Office, Chandler Grafner's guardian Jon Phillips and his common law wife Sarah Berry are scheduled to go to trial on March 31. The trial is expected to last three weeks.

According to a state report, Grafner died of cardiac arrest and weighed roughly 34 pounds.

Court documents say he was kept in a closet for days without food, water or access to a bathroom.

Attorneys for the couple have said Grafner had pre-existing medical conditions that could have caused his death.

Pre-existing medical conditions that would cause him to weigh 34 pounds and be covered with cuts and bruises? My butt!