GA - Suspicion over heat death of Cooper, 22 mo., Cobb County, June 2014, #5

[Spice]

No there's not! Having taken kids to the ER before, and my friends have, I can tell you you can arrive with a injured child who needs stitches, their stomach pumped, broken bones set, burns treated, and there's no investigation unless something looks very, very "off".

If a child dies I'm sure there would be an investigation but if everything otherwise seems normal with the parents there is no investigation.

With all due respect, that is patently false information.

This is not true. The death of a child will always initially be questioned and probled unless they die of a known terminal illness.

A child dying prematurely in any accident or even injured would be investigated No matter how "normal parents appear". That is just not true.

Foul play will always be investigated and then founded or unfounded.

Doctor's are mandated reporters and believe me, they do not not call for investigation because a family seems "normal" (a very subjective term).

Abuse injuries look a certain way..doughnut burns, old fractures on top of new fractures, injuries that look suspicious, too many trips to the ER, bruises in places normally not visible due to clothing. It has NOTHING to do about whether or not a parent seems "normal" or not. And especially, If a parents story does not line up with the injury. The injury will always be mentally assessed by the doctor or nurse for abuse.

And if a child dies prematurely, and is not terminally ill,or in a car accident or something where it is blatantly obvious, there will be an initial assessment whether parents are aware of it or not, and in most cases you are not. If something seems amiss there will be a probe and maybe a further investigation. Authorities will be called, parents, friends, neighbors will be questioned if the assessment calls for it.

. And it is also true that sometimes the most "normal" appearing parents are the most abusive. There is no "normal" look in murder or child abuse or good parenting for that matter. Medical and Mental Health staff are very aware of that.

 

[newone]

Sorry but it isn't believable that the father "forgot" the child within one-half mile.

I just spent a week with my grandson. I'm positive he's a boy and he's never silent after eating breakfast. He's full of energy and sound and there is no way to miss seeing his body in his car seat. If he's been sick and up the night before, he's full of more sound.
The actual witnesses did not believe the father and neither did the cops. Neither do I.

JMO

Thank you for that! Teething, being sick they are usually ''full of sound'' - totally new way of defining "hi - def'' sound

Even if male toddler is pretty laid back --- there's usually some fidgeting or squirming going on that makes ''sound'' even if it's just banging that toy truck against the side of the car seat.

or giggles - there is joy in having toddlers around too

 

[Charterhouse]

The things her son would skip.... Very interesting.....Would she bring him back......
Thanks Nurse.

 

[Karmady]

If found guilty, I do not believe the death penalty is the ONLY option. I think it is the HARSHEST available option, but think if there are minimum sentencing guidelines there is a possibility of MUCH more lenient sentences. Perhaps there are no mandatory minimums and someone could be found guilty and sentenced to time served...

The penalty for felony murder in Georgia is life in prison or death

http://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/the-crime-of-felony-murder-in-georgia

 

[nursebeeme]

The Georgia Death Investigation Act (O.C.G.A. 45-16-20) requires that the coroner or county medical examiner of the county where the body is found or the death occurs be notified and that a medical examiner's inquiry be made in all deaths that occur in this state that meet the following criteria:

As a result of violence;
By suicide or casualty;
Suddenly when in apparent good health;
When unattended by a physician; no person shall be deemed to have died unattended when the death occurred while the person was a patient of a hospice licensed under Article 9 of Chapter 7 of Title 31 of the Georgia Code.
In any suspicious or unusual manner, with particular attention to those persons 16 years of age and under;
After birth but before seven years of age if the death is unexpected or unexplained;
As a result of an execution carried out pursuant to the imposition of the death penalty under Article 2 of Chapter 10 of Title 17;
When an inmate of a state hospital or a state, county, or city penal institution; or
After having been admitted to a hospital in an unconscious state and without regaining consciousness within 24 hours of admission.

more at link on Georgia law

https://gbi.georgia.gov/medical-examiners-office

 

[Minette]

This may already have been posted, but it is the booking report for Justin Ross Harris from the Cobb County Sheriff's Office:

http://www.cobbsheriff.org/inmate/InmDetails.asp?soid=001020427%20%20%20&BOOKING_ID=309026503561217

One thing I have noticed is that there is currently no attorney of record on his file.

 

[RainCheck]

<modsnip> I can't imagine not checking my phone or VM all day when I have a toddler in daycare. Especially one that hadn't been feeling well the past few days.

 

[Salem]

Is this a generic photo of a child, or is it a photo of this child?

http://www.ljwd.org/tag/justin-ross-harris/

This is a very good question. I don't think it is Cooper because the chin is not pointy enough, but I can't be sure. I would ask the reporter, but I can't find her contact info.

Salem

 

[Davia18]

http://www.hlntv.com/article/2014/06/30/georgia-toddler-hot-car-cooper-harris-leanna-funeral

hln seems to have more of Mom's statement from the service ^^^

I'm so very sorry and this is JMO but that mother's reaction is not normal. She said If I could bring him back would I her answer was NO .

That is insane to me how can you answer no to that. Something is very very wrong with that. I never want to loose a child but OMG if I did and could bring them back, I'd bring them back.

 

[RainCheck]

Thank you for that! Teething, being sick they are usually ''full of sound'' - totally new way of defining "hi - def'' sound

Even if male toddler is pretty laid back --- there's usually some fidgeting or squirming going on that makes ''sound'' even if it's just banging that toy truck against the side of the car seat.

or giggles - there is joy in having toddlers around too

My toddler boy screams, kicks the back of the car, cries, shouts, sings, babbles, laughs and otherwise makes noise the entire time he is in the car.

 

[Melanie]

I just wanted to point out that JH is a tall dude! This seems to be a recent picture (from FB) where you can see his height while sitting. Even if the car seat was rear facing, he could look easily over his shoulder and see an arm or a foot. By all reports, Cooper was positioned in the middle of the back seat, rear facing. How did he not know his child wasn't there?



MOO

Mel

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

I would think both could be true. She may have had a miserable middle school experience, which is pretty common. If you ask adults if they'd like to return to middle school few would.

Yes... But a good percentage would not feel the child is better off dead than having to go through that time in their lives..

I was just wondering... More as a way to get a feel for mom's perspective on life... And if there could be a connection to feeling like a victim... And the outcome of this event...

It was more of an observation question for me since Psychology is my major (masters)...

all... JMO

 

[thefragile7393]

You can only allow for so many unlucky coincidences IMO.

Exactly. There's only so much before it's quite obvious of what you are looking at.

 

[Davia18]

<modsnip> I can't imagine not checking my phone or VM all day when I have a toddler in daycare. Especially one that hadn't been feeling well the past few days.

EXACTLY

I wouldn't send my child to daycare not feeling well.
I would stay home with my baby.

 

[Minette]

I hope this is not considered 'power posting' but I thought that folks might be interested to know what the penalty for conviction of cruelty to children in the 2nd degree would be in a case in which the child doesn't die:

(2) A person convicted of the offense of cruelty to children in the second degree shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than ten years.

http://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2010/title-16/chapter-5/article-5/16-5-70

So, still a pretty tough penalty for causing excessive physical or mental pain to a child through negligence, even if you didn't kill them. Which I'm OK with.

 

[CHERIE.T]

popcicle! :therethere::hug:

 

[MyBelle]

There are reports saying that Mom usually picked the child up from daycare because she works part time. So the question remains, what time did she usually pick him up.

Plus, what were Dad's regular hours? He supposedly got to work at 9:30 that morning yet he left by 4:20. Seems he worked less than 7 hours, also took a lunch break and was heading for drinks.

JMO

 

[MsMarple]

I

Any number of these things could ALSO happen. But when they do we hold the parent entirely responsible for not watching their child.

When you STRAP A CHILD INTO A CAR SEAT you have an extra level of responsibility. This is not a child getting out of sight for a few minutes and an accident happening. You are physically restraining the child behind you in the car. What kind of sick parent doesn't take that responsibility seriously? There is absolutely no way for the child to survive this, bar a random stranger breaking the windows on a car.

No I don't have sympathy for a parent that puts their child in a situation where they are completely at the mercy of the simple memory of the parent and then the parent forgets them. I do not have sympathy for a parent who forgets a frickin' HUMAN BEING in the car. Especially when they probably didn't forget the cell phone.

What kind of human depravity have we reduced our parents to that the bare minimum of remembering your responsibility to your own child, is excused with sympathy? I seriously do not understand this way of thinking.

The bare minimum for a parent is remembering your child. We've lowered the bar so much, that the fact that this poor child was horrifically baked alive in a car, pales in comparison to the discomfort that some people feel because they slack off when taking care of their children. It's shocking to me. All parents who do this should be prosecuted.

This very case demonstrates why. There are people making excuses because they feel insecure about it possibly happening to them. IF that becomes the baseline of the evaluation of responsibility of a parent, children are at a loss.

Waking up late is NOT the same thing as abandoning a child to be baked alive for hours. Just remember the poor little girl who ripped out all her hair before she died in a situation like this. It is inexcusable.

rsbm rbbm

What a brilliant comment! Parents are held to a higher standard. There are moral and societal requirements that begin the day a baby is born.

Empathy is not about excusing mediocre parenting.

 

[LisaB]

Well seeing as how she raved about him being such a great father, and stated that she hopes to have more children with him, I don't see why she would be idolizing him one moment and then making snipey comments towards him the next.

IF (I said IF) she was afraid of him, she might be in CYA mode. Hoping he will be convicted and out of her life, but frightened that he may be acquitted and come back home angry if she has not been enthusiastically supportive. If she is pretty sure he will be convicted, they will not have more children together. If he is not convicted, there's no assurance she will stay with him. But for now, she has to behave as if she is supportive.

 

[Synaptic Cliff]

So, I've been thinking about LH's statements, and there are several red flags, as I see it.

First, there is that statement about RH being "a good leader"

Ross is a wonderful daddy and leader for our household.

This strikes me as being indicative of a very unequal relationship, where RH had all the power. (JMO)

Then, she states that she wouldn't bring Cooper back:

She went on to say that she wouldn't bring the toddler back into this "broken world."

OK, a little weird.. what mother who has lost a child wouldn't bring him/her back if they could? But, ok.. the world is 'broken' and she is greiving. Fair enough..

But here, she implies that she might have other children with RH.

Ross is and was and will be if we have more children a wonderful father.

BBM

Wait, she wouldn't bring Cooper back, because the world is 'broken' but she might bring another child into it? The reasoning seems flawed in the extreme..

It sounds like maybe (JMO) RH thought there was something wrong with Cooper.. and LH was going along with it because he was the 'leader'. She even said,

"First of all Ross, I love you and I'm doing this for you, OK?"

Maybe I'm just reading too much into this.. but I keep thinking of people who have killed their children because they think the children are evil, or possessed, or the devil. I wonder if we will find out that there are mental illness or drug issues involved. I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me. (MOO)