WA - Princess Faananafu Aunai, 22 mos., fatally beaten after custody gain, Bremerton; 24 July 2021

[imstilla.grandma]

On July 24, emergency room staff at St. Michael Medical Center in Silverdale reported an unresponsive toddler arrived.

According to investigators, staff reported the toddler had a pulse, heart rate and was covered “head to toe” in bruises.

Staff tried to revive the child, but she died that morning.

Detectives started investigating the case and learned there were three other children living in a home in the 1900 block of Perry Avenue. The father of the toddler, 27-year-old Telenise Aunai and his fiancee, 33-year-old Tina Maae, gained custody of the four children in March.

Investigators said all four children suffered repeated physical abuse since March.

“Signs of physical abuse to include marks and bruising were found on the children. Two of the children were forensically interviewed and disclosed systemic patterns of abuse over the time living with Aunai and Maae,” police said.

The three children were removed from the home and placed into protective custody.

The Kitsap County Coroner’s Office found the cause of the toddler’s death was due to multiple blunt force trauma to her body that was intentionally inflicted by another person. The manner of death was classified as homicide, investigators said.
Father arrested in connection with toddler’s death
Telenise Aunai Facebook:
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[imstilla.grandma]

Tina Maae is a self-employed individual located in Bremerton, Washington that received a Coronavirus-related PPP loan from the SBA of $18,583.00 in April, 2021.
https://www.federalpay.org/paycheck-protection-program/tina-maae-bremerton-wa
*Im very interested why she needed $18,583 for a courier service payroll. Hmmm…

 

[Songbird1973]

Tina Maae is a self-employed individual located in Bremerton, Washington that received a Coronavirus-related PPP loan from the SBA of $18,583.00 in April, 2021.
https://www.federalpay.org/paycheck-protection-program/tina-maae-bremerton-wa
*Im very interested why she needed $18,583 for a courier service payroll. Hmmm…

I'm curious what your question is, as to what she "needed" the money for. It was equal to 10 weeks of income, based on her taxes from the previous year. Are you thinking that the amount is too high for her salery? Are you thinking she didn't qualify at all? As a Payroll Manager, I filed three different PPP loans for my employers. The information in the link referred to, doesn't indicate a problem to me. Maybe I don't understand your question....

 

[imstilla.grandma]

I'm curious what your question is, as to what she "needed" the money for. It was equal to 10 weeks of income, based on her taxes from the previous year. Are you thinking that the amount is too high for her salery? Are you thinking she didn't qualify at all? As a Payroll Manager, I filed three different PPP loans for my employers. The information in the link referred to, doesn't indicate a problem to me. Maybe I don't understand your question....

You’ve answered my question. Thank you. I’m not familiar with the specifics as to how the program works.

 

[modesty blaise]

Who had custody of the children prior to march??

 

[LotusPawprint]

"Family members of a 22-month-old girl found to have been killed in July said they were concerned the four young children in the house appeared underweight and believed the physical punishment inflicted on them was severe.

Telenise “Junior” Aunai Jr., 27, is charged with second-degree murder for the death of his daughter, Princess Faananafu Aunai, along with two counts of third-degree assault of a child for assaults Bremerton police allege were inflicted on two of Aunai’s other children, ages 4 and 5.

Aunai’s fiancée, Tina Laura Maae, 33, faces the same charges, filed Friday in Kitsap County Superior Court.

Bremerton police arrested the couple Thursday after a nearly four-week investigation that started when Princess was brought to St. Michael’s Medical Center in the early morning hours of July 24 and hospital workers noted severe bruising on the girl.


After an autopsy, the Kitsap County coroner ruled Princess was killed by multiple blunt force injuries that could not be feasibly explained other than by “intentionally inflicted” trauma, including a head injury, according to charging documents for the couple.

In statements to police, Aunai said he had spanked Princess with a strip of plastic — accounting for bruising on her buttocks — but said that before she died he had noticed her choking on food, leading the couple to try to dislodge the food by force and performing CPR on her. Medics found no blockages in Princess’ throat, according to court documents.


Aunai said the other injuries on her body likely came from her falling, describing her as “clumsy.”

“He offered this as an explanation for the bruising,” a detective wrote in court documents.

“Junior said he would take the blame for (Princess’) death, but he didn’t do it,” a detective wrote. “He finished by saying ‘I didn’t do anything.’”

Maae, in a statement to police, said Princess was “non stop whining” that week and Maae didn’t know why but said she believed Princess had choked.

However, Maae said she saw bruises on Princess the day before the girl’s death and brought it up to Aunai, asking why he didn’t mention it to her so she could bring the girl to the doctor.

Authorities interviewed two of the other young children in the house. Despite them being 4 and 5 years old, authorities included statements from them saying Aunai had punished Princess for not eating.

“He kept smacking, smacking, smacking,” one of the children said, according to court documents.

Child Protective Services workers told police the two children had bruises on them, leading to the assault of a child charges against Aunai and Maae.

Detectives learned that on July 23, hours before Princess would die, a group of family members drove from Federal Way to Aunai's residence on the 1900 block of Perry Avenue.

Aunai’s mother told detectives she had grown concerned after hearing the children may have lost weight. She had custody of Aunai’s four children until March.

At the door, Aunai’s mother said group heard screaming inside the house, which stopped when they rang the doorbell. In a Facebook phone call, Aunai told them they were trespassing and had to leave, according to the mother’s statement to police.

Maae’s adult brother also lived at the house but told detectives the punishments meted out to the children were disturbing to him. He said that one occasion in the days before Princess died was “severe,” and it angered him so that he left. He said he saw both Aunai and Maae hit the children on the buttocks and hands and added that he tried to intervene, even grabbing their hands, asking them to stop, investigators wrote.

The brother said he didn’t believe Princess died from choking, but from abuse.

“It was more than that,” the brother said, according to court documents.



Family was concerned about children in lead-up to Bremerton toddler's death

 

[LotusPawprint]

This was a predictable, preventable death.


ANOTHER baby who had people looking out for her and who loved her yet was returned to her slaughter.