GUILTY IL - Hunter Lee Drew, 3, hurled against a wall months after DCFS gives him to father, GF charged

[tlcya]

The Macoupin County Sheriff's Office arrested 33-year-old Ashley Bottoms, of Carlinville, on Thursday, Oct. 20 in connection with the toddler's death.

[snip]
Bottoms is charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering the life of a child causing death.

According to charging documents, Bottoms was breaking up a fight between two juveniles and threw the toddler.

The toddler ended up hitting its head on the ledge on a half wall.

The state's attorney says this left the child with a brain bleed, which caused its death.

Bottoms then reportedly drove around for more than 3 hours with the child in the vehicle without seeking medical care.
Woman drove around with injured toddler for 3 hours, attorney says

According to the State Journal Register, Bottoms was the girlfriend of the child’s father. The SJ-R also reported having a conversation with Garrison, where it was revealed she drove to Litchfield to pick up her boyfriend from work. Someone in the car then informed Bottoms the child was unresponsive. She then drove to the Litchfield Fire Department for medical attention for the boy who was later pronounced deceased.
Carlinville woman charged in toddler’s death

He said Hunter was thriving under the care of him and his then-girlfriend and now-wife, Hailee. Kiel Quigley's sister is Hunter's biological mother.

The couple gained custody of Hunter on Oct. 6, 2021, after Kiel Quigley's sister said a case worker from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services was at her house and wanted to know if Hunter could come stay with the Quigleys at their home in Mount Auburn.

[snip]
"Of course, we're a tight family, and we protect our own." Quigley said. "This poor baby had been through hell and back and was only 2 years old. We got him two weeks after his second birthday."

[snip]
Quigley reminisced about the path Hunter took after he gained custody in 2021 and Hunter refused to eat, wouldn't talk and was terrified of men.

"My wife and I sat there, across the couch from him, staring into his eyes. He was lost, he was confused, he was hurt. But he was in there, barely holding on, but he was there. Hailee looked at me with tears in her eyes and told me, 'We have to save him, he's still in there screaming for help,'" Quigley said.

[snip]
"Once diagnosed, surgery was performed with tubes placed in his ears. His hearing improved immediately and to our relief, his balance and cognitive responses improved virtually overnight," Quigley said. "All he needed was someone to care for him and he began to be a little boy."

Late in November, the Department of Children and Family Services tracked down Hunter's biological father, Christopher Gunn. DNA tests proved Gunn was Hunter's father. Despite the Quigleys' misgivings, the state eventually placed Hunter with Gunn and his girlfriend, Ashley Bottoms.

"Disregarding my comments and opinions, DCFS decided that Hunter's biological dad should still start a relationship with a little person he had never known," Quigley said.

[snip]
"Instead, they decided Chris needed to take responsibility for Hunter, so they could hurry up and close a case file, disregarding what was best for the child and against our objections," Quigley said.

Gunn took custody of Hunter on Aug. 27.
Did custody change cause Hunter's death?

by October 20th little Hunter was dead.
Obituary of Hunter Lee Drew | Davis-Anderson Funeral Homes - Girard

 

[tlcya]

 

[Deleted member 306806]

The second article and snips make the family structure and who said what very confusing imo.

relation to Hunter Drew:
Ashley Bottoms - HDFather’s girlfriend arrested for HD’s murder

Garrison - States Attorney, quoted in article

, Kiel Quigley - HD’s uncle. his sister is HD’s bio mom. Had custody of HD through DCF for a time and did good for him. Did therap, medical appointments and surgeries which HD needed.
and Hailey Quigley - Kiel’s wife/ HD’s aunt by marriage. Also good for HD when they had custody.

Christopher Gunn - HD’s bio dad. DCF tracked him down and decided he should a start a relationship with HD. Was placed with CG and AB after a few supervised visits. [Kiel]“Quigley said case workers were changed and it eventually became clear to him that the department no longer wanted to help pay for Hunter's care.” Quote from Did custody change cause Hunter's death?

 

[tlcya]

yeah, it's a lot to unpack. Poor kiddo, rough start with bio mom, then aunt and uncle step up, he thrives, DCFS decides lets find his bio father and get him off our rolls. two months later little Hunter, the little guy with lots of heart was dead.

IL DCFS has been badly broken for decades and it just gets worse When will people understand reunification (or in this case introduction to an absent bio parent) should not be the goal. What is best for the child should. Over and over and over we see this, child is doing fine in the foster or custodial situation but returned or given over to someone who is unsafe, unvetted or otherwise inappropriate.

 

[Rolypolyoly]

The Macoupin County Sheriff's Office arrested 33-year-old Ashley Bottoms, of Carlinville, on Thursday, Oct. 20 in connection with the toddler's death.

[snip]
Bottoms is charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering the life of a child causing death.

According to charging documents, Bottoms was breaking up a fight between two juveniles and threw the toddler.

The toddler ended up hitting its head on the ledge on a half wall.

The state's attorney says this left the child with a brain bleed, which caused its death.

Bottoms then reportedly drove around for more than 3 hours with the child in the vehicle without seeking medical care.
Woman drove around with injured toddler for 3 hours, attorney says

According to the State Journal Register, Bottoms was the girlfriend of the child’s father. The SJ-R also reported having a conversation with Garrison, where it was revealed she drove to Litchfield to pick up her boyfriend from work. Someone in the car then informed Bottoms the child was unresponsive. She then drove to the Litchfield Fire Department for medical attention for the boy who was later pronounced deceased.
Carlinville woman charged in toddler’s death

He said Hunter was thriving under the care of him and his then-girlfriend and now-wife, Hailee. Kiel Quigley's sister is Hunter's biological mother.

The couple gained custody of Hunter on Oct. 6, 2021, after Kiel Quigley's sister said a case worker from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services was at her house and wanted to know if Hunter could come stay with the Quigleys at their home in Mount Auburn.

[snip]
"Of course, we're a tight family, and we protect our own." Quigley said. "This poor baby had been through hell and back and was only 2 years old. We got him two weeks after his second birthday."

[snip]
Quigley reminisced about the path Hunter took after he gained custody in 2021 and Hunter refused to eat, wouldn't talk and was terrified of men.

"My wife and I sat there, across the couch from him, staring into his eyes. He was lost, he was confused, he was hurt. But he was in there, barely holding on, but he was there. Hailee looked at me with tears in her eyes and told me, 'We have to save him, he's still in there screaming for help,'" Quigley said.

[snip]
"Once diagnosed, surgery was performed with tubes placed in his ears. His hearing improved immediately and to our relief, his balance and cognitive responses improved virtually overnight," Quigley said. "All he needed was someone to care for him and he began to be a little boy."

Late in November, the Department of Children and Family Services tracked down Hunter's biological father, Christopher Gunn. DNA tests proved Gunn was Hunter's father. Despite the Quigleys' misgivings, the state eventually placed Hunter with Gunn and his girlfriend, Ashley Bottoms.

"Disregarding my comments and opinions, DCFS decided that Hunter's biological dad should still start a relationship with a little person he had never known," Quigley said.

[snip]
"Instead, they decided Chris needed to take responsibility for Hunter, so they could hurry up and close a case file, disregarding what was best for the child and against our objections," Quigley said.

Gunn took custody of Hunter on Aug. 27.
Did custody change cause Hunter's death?

by October 20th little Hunter was dead.
Obituary of Hunter Lee Drew | Davis-Anderson Funeral Homes - Girard

Oh. This is horrific. Poor baby.

 

[Rolypolyoly]

I don't understand the girlfriends explanation for Hunter's injuries, or why anyone would believe her!.

 

[tlcya]

I don't understand the girlfriends explanation for Hunter's injuries, or why anyone would believe her!.

exactly - who hurls a toddler against a wall to break up a fight among teens? Like . . . What? Doesn't make a lick of sense. Something else happened to that baby and this was the best she could come up with. I had to yeet the baby into the wall your honor, there was a tussle with the teens that needed my attention.

Gonna go out on a limb here and say there was a drug issue in that household. the accused looks much older than her 33 years

 

[Laughing]

Oh, Lord, not again!

Maybe we need a sub for these issues, Oakley, Harmony, Quinton, the little girl in Hawaii, the DeHavens in Kansas:

GOP Kansas lawmaker calls on state to halt work with foster care contractor

A top lawmaker on child welfare issues said Kansas should end a contract with Cornerstones of Care, a foster care contractor in the Kansas City area.

www.cjonline.com

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[tlcya]

Kiel and Hailee tell us they have concerns with how the agency handled Hunter’s case.

"I was so busy, focused on that little boy and what he needed," Kiel said. "I didn't really take time to pay attention to what DCFS was doing. This was my first time ever really dealing with DCFS. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, as I think most people do. I believe that they were there to help. I believe that they were there to help him, help us help him... At times they were more of a hindrance [DCFS] Than they were a help. I just decided I needed to kind of look into what they were doing."
Foster family concerned over DCFS handling of Hunter Drew's case

 

[modesty blaise]

I will never understand when child services place children in a situation where they are loved and thriving why it's necessary to them uproot them.

 

[iamshadow21]

I don't understand the girlfriends explanation for Hunter's injuries, or why anyone would believe her!.

I agree, it stinks. None of that story makes any sense.

The only time I would yeet a toddler is a) out of the path of a vehicle, sacrificing myself or b) gently, onto a bed, sofa, or trampoline as part of consensual play. They are a literal baby, and incredibly, tragically fragile.

If two teens were having a fight I would be grabbing up that baby and running to a safe distance. If I was concerned for the teens I would call the cops from the safety of the house or my car, with the baby safe in my arms.

If that baby was injured, I would be booking it to the hospital or calling an ambulance. With absolutely zero delay. 'Driving' for three hours sounds like, 'oh, bleep, I hope he wakes up, any time now, because I cannot explain this'. I wonder if a third party hadn't intervened if he would have been 'kidnapped' or 'missing after I found the door open'. Getting vibes of Quinton, vibes of King Jay.

Better upgrade those damn charges, because nothing about this sounds 'involuntary'.

EDIT: Also remembering 'Little Jacob'/Jayden and Riley Ann Sawyers. So many beautiful babies.

 

[katydid23]

I will never understand when child services place children in a situation where they are loved and thriving why it's necessary to them uproot them.

Follow the money...

 

[iamshadow21]

Follow the money...

This comment made me feel like throwing up a little in my mouth, but you're absolutely right.

If these people cared about kids, not cash, he would never have been removed from the home he was in.

 

[tlcya]

Sentencing for a Carlinville woman who pleaded guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge involving the death last October of a three-year-old boy who lived in her home takes place in Macoupin County court Monday morning.
[snip]
Bottoms, who is the wife of Hunter's biological father, Christopher Gunn, avoided a trial by pleading guilty in April.

By statute, involuntary manslaughter is the unintentional killing of an individual without lawful justification.
https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/cri...ilty-to-involuntary-manslaughter/70417580007/

CARLINVILLE, Ill. (WICS) — The woman accused of killing a 3-year-old Macoupin County boy was sentenced to 11 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) on Monday.

Ashley Bottoms, 33, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter on count 1 as an open plea on April 13.
[snip]
Bottoms was given credit for serving 270 days in jail.
Macoupin County woman sentenced to 11 years for involuntary manslaughter of toddler

 

[imstilla.grandma]

CARLINVILLE — The uncle of a 3-year-old Macoupin County boy who died while in the care of a Carlinville woman said her sentence did nothing to make him believe justice has been served in the case.

"There is no justice for this,"said Kiel Quigley, the uncle of Hunter Lee Drew. "There is no amount of time they could have given her that would bring my nephew back. He will never be back in our family, no matter her fate."

Ashley N. Bottoms, 34, was sentenced Monday to 11 years in prison by Macoupin Circuit Judge Joshua Meyer in connection with the boy's death on Oct. 20, 2022. Bottoms avoided a trial by pleading guilty on April 13 to one count of involuntary manslaughter. She originally was charged with manslaughter and endangering the life of a child causing death.

"Given the charges that were brought, and the evidence put forth, the judge gave us the best possible outcome we could have asked for," Quigley said. "We knew they were not going to give her the maximum. But the judge said he would not entertain the idea of the minimum. He believed an example must be set and these crimes should be taken seriously."

Quigley was critical of Macoupin County State's Attorney Jordan Garrison for choosing to offer the plea deal that allowed Bottoms to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

"Mr. Garrison dropped the ball on this one," Quigley said. "They had enough evidence to bring more serious charges and they chose not to do so. I'm not sure what their reasoning was."

Hunter Drew’s uncle: ‘There is no justice for this’

The uncle of a 3-year-old Macoupin County boy who died while in the care of a Carlinville...

www.thetelegraph.com