GUILTY PA - Quasir Alexander, 2 mos, starved to death, Philadelphia, 23 Dec 2010

[Missizzy]

DairyGirl is correct. Starving babies are quiet and lethargic. One of the most chilling things is the quiet in refugee camps where children are starving to death. They don't scream or cry. They just fade away. Filly's right too, peeing is essential. You want LOTS of wet diapers. For breast-feeding moms, there is a period of time when the milk has not come in fully yet and the baby is typically getting frustrated. That's where older moms and nursing coaches can really help, as it's easy to succumb to the temptation of the bottle. Babies can go several days with just a little colostrum (that's why it's so nutrient rich). Almost all doctors, midwives, and nursing coaches will ask you to hold off on the water bottles IF (big IF, here) there are still wet diapers. One of the downsides of disposable diapers is that it's actually hard to tell when they are wet. Many also have are "baby-powder" scented so you can't tell by smell. Nurses will actually weigh the diapers to tell if the baby is peeing appropriately. If there's not enough urine output, most will advise a little water, especially if the weather is hot but they want that baby working on getting that milk. That's what sets up a great and healthy nursing experience.

That said, I'm going to guess that this mom wasn't nursing. She has a number of other children, she's under great stress, and she just had twins. Nursing multiples is a challenging undertaking and requires huge amounts of food and fluids for the mom and lots of support from family. The reports say that the boy was 2 months old. Well, 6 weeks is the growth spurt--when babies eat almost constantly. Maybe, but I just don't think so.

So, if she was bottle feeding, I would assume that she wasn't feeding this twin (for whatever reason) or that he was feeding inappropriately. Many babies have poor suck reflex, especially preemies, multiples and those with any form of challenge at birth. A poor suck reflex causes failure to thrive. That's not homicide. It's not even homicide, I don't think, if the mom doesn't seek help in time. I really believe that this mother chose to withhold food from this infant or harmed him in various other ways. JMO

Filly--This will get you. When I was younger and acting as a doula, I had my birthchildren. Once, I was close to a due date for myself and one of my moms went into labor. I sent a replacement--my husband. He's probably coached twenty moms and he's the best. He just doula'd for our newest granddaughter's mother a couple months ago. Her parents kind of stood back with wide eyes. Sweet Guy said he was really disappointed in himself that he'd worn Berkies that day. Birth can be a bit messy, you know. It's an amazingly rewarding thing to do. I loved it.

 

[indicajane]

I can't even begin to guess HOW this occurred. The police must have some evidence that its not just the mother's terrible error, or the baby's lack of sucking that led to this horrible occurance, since they arrested her for murdering the poor child.

My sister has twins, although boy-girl, and for the first year of their life she kept a notebook and wrote down the amount and time of each feeding, and also each diaper change. I made fun of her, but it really was smart. With twins (and goodness knows, additional children) there is SO much going on, I could imagine missing a feeding for one, or feeding one child twice instead if you were distracted. That honestly was my first thought when reading this article, until I thought, "To death??" and reconsidered.

I can't imagine blaming the shelter itself. In a large city, I imagine they are quite busy, and infants are so bundled up. Since she had four active children, and two infants in (i would assume) carriers most of the time, so they were portable, I can't imagine many people getting a close look at the baby. They are there to provide shelter, and give folks a hand-up, they certainly aren't responsible for monitering each and every feeding this mother is or is not giving these babies.

 

[Filly]

Did the homeless shelter assume she was BF'ing, or did they provide formula. Just curious? Was the question even asked/answered?

MOO

Mel

Mel, the shelter provided food and formula.

The mother was receiving services from a social service. I'll link to them. She was receiving it voluntarily up until the 21st and Quasir died on the 23rd.

The social service is providing it's own investigation.


http://www.philly.com/inquirer/loca...aby_s_starvation_death_at_Philly_shelter.html

 

[Filly]

http://www.lcfsinpa.org/

They actually run the shelter this social service.

They have refugee placement. Just wondering if perhaps this family were refugees that needed to be placed?

 

[Filly]

Two case workers have been suspended as the investigation into Quasir's murder continues.

This is the first we hear that his twin was also malnourished and underweight.

Lil Quasir weighed less when he died then he did when he was born.


http://www.centredaily.com/2011/01/03/2430671/apnewsbreak-2-suspended-in-boys.html

 

[Missizzy]

There most definitely should be a full investigation with heads rolling. These little guys slipped through the cracks while under the supervision of an agency tasked with caring for children. It's not as if they were hidden away in a tiny basement room, somewhere "off the grid".

Hopefully the other little guy will begin thriving, now that his nutritional and emotional needs are being met.

 

[Missizzy]

The DA is adamant that Quasir did not slip through the cracks. He received the appropriate services--some people just failed to do their job and a baby boy died. I guess I would have to agree. So many many questions--a few are answered in this article. I truly hope this death brings about some major changes in the way infants are checked at shelters. I still don't understand the homicide charge, however.


http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20110104_Caseworker_cleared_infant_who_later_died.html (2 pages)

Caseworker cleared infant who later died


"A caseworker who said she visited 2-month-old Quasir Alexander on Dec. 21 had pronounced him and his twin brother "healthy and well" despite the fact that Quasir weighed only about four pounds, sources close to the investigation say.

The boy, who lived in a West Philadelphia homeless shelter with his mother and five siblings, would be dead two days later from starvation and dehydration...."

and

"...."It should have been clear to anyone who came into contact with this child that the child was very sick and emaciated," he [District Attorney, Seth Williams] said. "The facts of this case are very sad."

Quasir weighed five pounds at birth and slightly less than four pounds when he died. He should have weighed about 10 pounds, according to World Health Organization standards...."

more at link (and a mug shot of Tanya Williams, Quasir's mother)

 

[Missizzy]

Poor sweet little Quasir didn't have much of a chance. I wonder if they've got their details correct here. I thought he weighed less at death. Anyway, also a fractured skull.

http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/new-details-in-boy's-starvation-death

New Details In Boy's Starvation Death
M.E. Says Boy Had Fractured Skull


"He [District Attorney, Seth Williams] also revealed that the medical examiner's office said Quasir weighed more at death than at birth and his skull was fractured.

more at link

 

[Missizzy]

We lost a little one all because someone simply failed to do their job. That's shameful. This article seems to correct the error in the one linked above. Quasir did weigh less at death than at birth. There's no mention of the fractured skull, however. I'm also curious about the statement that the caseworkers learned in September that Williams was pregnant with twins. It says that she gave birth to the twins on October 21 with no prenatal care. Why not, if she was living at the shelter? And how would they have know she was carrying twins with no prenatal care?

This case has haunted me as six of our youngest adopted children were born prematurely--two are twins born at 25 weeks. Most did not go home with their mothers. The one who did had frequent DHS visits and was immediately removed when his mother gave birth to yet another baby (11 months later) also exposed to crack cocaine. I'm more than a little concerned about the social work failings at the hospital back in October.

I cannot express the pain I have about not being there for my babies. I didn't come onto the scene until each was 2-7 years old. How it hurts me to read their hospital reports. My heart just aches because I wasn't there to love them. I haven't even a single photo of them before they came to us. I know I've done my best since they came to us but infants are so fragile and so needful of our tenderness. I've raised six sons similar in many ways to Quasir and they've brought me great joy.

Fly little boy angel. Fly high.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/loca...case_of_starved_baby_in_Philly_are_fired.html

Workers in case of starved baby in Philly are fired


The caseworker who said she visited 2-month-old Quasir Alexander in a city shelter and pronounced him "healthy and well" two days before he died of starvation has been fired by the contractor the city hired to help the family. A supervisor who oversaw the case also was fired.

"Lutheran Children and Family Service has completed the initial phase of an internal review, and based on the facts developed in that review, we have terminated the supervisor and caseworker handling the Williams case," the agency said in a statement to The Inquirer Tuesday night. It said it was "fully cooperating with all relevant authorities so that the facts can be fully and properly vetted....."

and

"...Last week, the District Attorney's Office charged Quasir's mother, Tanya Williams, 32, with murder. District Attorney Seth Williams said at the time that the investigation was continuing into whether caseworkers involved with the family failed to "perform their duties adequately or possibly even criminally."

Williams added that it should have been clear to anyone who came into contact with the child that he was very sick and emaciated....."

and

"....The boy, who lived in the shelter with his mother and five siblings, weighed only about four pounds when he died of dehydration and starvation, nearly a pound less than he weighed when he was born in October. He should have weighed about 10 pounds, according to World Health Organization standards. His twin brother, also severely malnourished, survived and has been placed in a foster home along with Williams' other children.

In a photograph taken after his death, Quasir appears undernourished, with protruding ribs and wrinkled skin. Prosecutors said the boy had not been fed adequately for at least a month...."


more at link

 

[OkieGranny]

From June 2013:

http://articles.philly.com/2013-06-30/news/40273062_1_starvation-death-quasir-alexander-quamir

A homeless Philadelphia mother of six was sentenced Friday to nine to 18 years in prison in the starvation death of one of her 2-month-old twin boys in a city-run homeless shelter...

Williams was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in May in the death of Quasir Alexander at a homeless shelter in West Philadelphia two days before Christmas 2010. The boy's twin... nearly died of starvation as well, prosecutors said.