SD - Brooklyn Howard, 3 mos, dies at day care, Davison County, 19 June 2012

[Jacie Estes]

Search Warrants were executed at parent's house and at day care location.

...executed search warrants June 19 at the home of Howard’s parents, Donald Howard and Amy Ruml, located at 40611 249th St. in Mitchell, and at a residence located at 709 W. Spruce St, which is described in the search warrant as “a residence where Lacey Tebay cares for a number of children, to include Brooklyn Kennedy Howard.”



In both instances, investigators were searching for photographs, video and any other evidence possibly connected to Howard’s death, court documents say.
An inventory listing property taken in the search show a laptop was taken from the Spruce Street residence, along with swabs of the exterior edge of a screen door and a basement handrail. Another inventory shows video and photos were taken from inside of the home of Howard’s parents.


http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/event/article/id/67128/publisher_ID/4/

 

[Shelby2]

Her birth notice:

http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/event/article/id/64435/publisher_ID/4/

 

[Shelby2]

Search Warrants were executed at parent's house and at day care location.

...executed search warrants June 19 at the home of Howard’s parents, Donald Howard and Amy Ruml, located at 40611 249th St. in Mitchell, and at a residence located at 709 W. Spruce St, which is described in the search warrant as “a residence where Lacey Tebay cares for a number of children, to include Brooklyn Kennedy Howard.”



In both instances, investigators were searching for photographs, video and any other evidence possibly connected to Howard’s death, court documents say.
An inventory listing property taken in the search show a laptop was taken from the Spruce Street residence, along with swabs of the exterior edge of a screen door and a basement handrail. Another inventory shows video and photos were taken from inside of the home of Howard’s parents.


http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/event/article/id/67128/publisher_ID/4/

Seems the police think she may have ARRIVED at daycare hurt?

 

[Jacie Estes]

Seems the police think she may have ARRIVED at daycare hurt?

There has been no information about her death, lately. I hope this means they are being thorough in this case.

 

[Jacie Estes]

Still nothing about Brooklyn's death in the news.

 

[Jacie Estes]

Ruml and Howard claim Tebay failed to properly care for Brooklyn, left her alone in a room with as many as seven other children and then ignored her cries when one of those other children, a 5-year-old, allegedly attacked her.

Exactly one month after Brooklyn’s death, authorities announced no criminal charges would be filed in the case. Despite the month-long investigation, very few details of the death were released.

http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/event/article/id/69863/

 

[Jacie Estes]

:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

On the day of the incident, the complaint says Tebay laid Brooklyn on the floor for a nap and left her and the other children alone, and at some point began watching television or using her computer in another room.

Ruml and Howard then claim Tebay spent the time from 2:30 to 3:21 p.m. conversing with Stephanie Smith, who, according to the complaint, cleans Tebay’s home.

According to a police log from the day of Brooklyn’s death, Mitchell police officers responded to a “death/coroner call” and a “medical emergency” in the 700 block of West Spruce Street at 3:22 p.m.

While napping, Brooklyn was “kicked, hit and stepped on” by another child, the complaint says, which caused her fatal injuries.

www.mitchellrepublic.com/event/article/id/69863/

 

[Quiche]

Seems like the "babysitter" should be charged with negligence of some kind, imo. How horrific and painful for little Brooklyn... and wouldn't one of the other children "go tell" on the one who did the hitting/stomping? I bet they tried and she brushed them off.

I'd press LE for charges that would shut this "sitter" down. The lawsuit thing is secondary to making sure she's not in the "care giving" business any longer. mo

:furious:

 

[Yoda]

:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

On the day of the incident, the complaint says Tebay laid Brooklyn on the floor for a nap and left her and the other children alone, and at some point began watching television or using her computer in another room.

Ruml and Howard then claim Tebay spent the time from 2:30 to 3:21 p.m. conversing with Stephanie Smith, who, according to the complaint, cleans Tebay’s home.

According to a police log from the day of Brooklyn’s death, Mitchell police officers responded to a “death/coroner call” and a “medical emergency” in the 700 block of West Spruce Street at 3:22 p.m.

While napping, Brooklyn was “kicked, hit and stepped on” by another child, the complaint says, which caused her fatal injuries.

www.mitchellrepublic.com/event/article/id/69863/

Not too sure on the accuracy of these events since they are all alleged by the parents, who were not present. I would think that LE would charge the day care provider with at least neglect if they determined she wasn't adequately supervising the children. Moo

 

[Jacie Estes]

Seems like the "babysitter" should be charged with negligence of some kind, imo. How horrific and painful for little Brooklyn... and wouldn't one of the other children "go tell" on the one who did the hitting/stomping? I bet they tried and she brushed them off.

I'd press LE for charges that would shut this "sitter" down. The lawsuit thing is secondary to making sure she's not in the "care giving" business any longer. mo

:furious:

There have been several cases in SD where babies/children have died while in daycare. Some are prosecuted and some aren't. I 'wonder' how much is prosecutorial discretion.? It seems like the sitter was happy to get the money but not happy to do the job. IMHO

 

[Jacie Estes]

Not too sure on the accuracy of these events since they are all alleged by the parents, who were not present. I would think that LE would charge the day care provider with at least neglect if they determined she wasn't adequately supervising the children. Moo

The emotional aspect aside, I would think the parents have autopsy/coroner reports to corroborate the baby's injuries. I think these parents should pursue any and all avenues available to them to seek justice for their daughter's death. Her life was taken, seeking justice is what they have now.

South Dakota is a strange universe. IMHO from living here. We had a police chief who walked in the bedroom and shot his wife in the head while she was lying on her bed, with their daughter lying next to her. The Police Chief's girlfriend, who was an assistant state's attorney, took him from the scene and took him to a state mental facility to have him commit himself, he was trying to get a 'mentally ill' defense. It didn't work, he's in jail. Sometimes, it is who you know. IMHO