WV WV - Hevin Jenkins, 2, Cabell County, 15 December 2005

[OneLostGrl]

I do agree with you on the topic of leaving children in a car unattended. I do not agree with your tactics. I believe in nicer approaches, I guess. I would have went up to that woman and said " You must be really in a hurry to leave the kids in the car, I can understand the temptation to do so in all this holiday stress. But, I have been reading so much about abductions lately, and it just worries me. Do you mind if I stand by your car and keep an eye out on your kids until you get back? And, by the way, do you know it is illegal to do so? Anyone could report you and you can get fined."

I just believe you attract more bee's with honey, and I feel this type of approach would make this mother think more and react in a more positive way. I know that if someone talked to me in this way, I would listen more and react differently, if someone acted to me like you did to this woman, even though I knew I was wrong, I would have wanted to rip her face off!

sorry, just my opinion.

Let me start by saying I respect your opinion!

But

At the time I was a bit more concerned with the children that were about to be left alone in a car unattended then with how I may effect the "mothers" feelings. I am passionite about children and their rights as human beings.

I have 2 points I would like to make here so I'm not viewed as simply a mean person..

first... Anyone who has read any of my posts knows that I have Bipolar Disorder..also, anyone who has read my posts knows my feeling about people blaming their bad behavior on their Mental Illness. Being mentally ill does not excuse bad behavior, I'm SORRY!
With that said, Having bipolar disorder and raising a child is NOT easy... I live with the daily up's and down's and up's and down's... BUT *I* have never left my child unattended.. stress or no stress.. If "someone like me" can manage a child AND daily and holiday stresses, certainly a "normal" person can as well.
With medication, lifestyle changes and awareness... this illness can be under control.. I HAVE Bipolar Disorder... I am NOT- Bipolar Disorder.

The secoond thing I'd like to share is: My foster son comes from a neglectful home. Although we are working with him and he is growing... he does not trust his mother, he does not feel his own mother loves him.. he has a reading level of 4th grade and he is in the 7th grade... at 9 yrs. old he began cooking his own meals because no one could be bothered to cook for him (at 9, a childs arms can't even reach over the stove) also at 9 yrs old he was left home alone from 6:30 AM till 9:00 PM... With no one to get him off to school.. and "mom" wouldn't even wake him before she left so he could catch the bus. "Mom" got angry with him one day and got ahold of some Indian Ink and TATTOOED into his 13 yr old skin "" (She is white,The child's father is black and her new husband is cuban). He is now 13 yrs. old and does not even know how to cut his own meat on his dinner plate.

Not only are we adults in our home appalled but our 11 yr. old bio. son can't understand how a "parent" can do those things to her child.

Neglect is neglect is neglect and it's born out of selfishness and laziness and who are we to assume it'll "stop" at leaving children unattened in cars?

Yes, I am angry but I LOVE children and I am sorry if that upsets anyone.

 

[mjak]

A bit off topic but-- Today I had to go to the Post Office and as I was sitting in the car waiting for my mother to finish up her transaction inside the building-
I notice this woman with 2 small (probably 3 and 1 yr old) children getting out of her vehicle turning back toward the kids and says "behave out here, I'll be right back".
Then she walked away from her car toward the post office and nosey me said (In a loud enough voice so I could be SURE she'd hear me) "That woman is leaving those 2 babies in the car alone! That's against the law, Give me the cell phone so I can call 911!"

Well, the mother came running back to the car, staring at me the entire time, and took her babies out of their car seats and brought them into the Post Office with her!
I felt I had a right to be angry and upset with this womans actions. I almost never pre-judge anyone but in an instant I judged this "mother"

Being a mother myself, I understand it's a pain to have to take the child out of the car seat, walk with the child inside of the building, wait in a line with a fussy child.
I do remember these days and things took longer to get done with a child in toe.

But by taking that extra time bringing your child with you, you KNOW your child is safe.

IMO Leaving a child alone in a car is neglect!

Kudos to you OneLostGirl!!! Thank you for looking out for thoes children. Maybe you taught the mother something too.

mjak

 

[mjak]

I'm not them. I don't know. My family never behaves this way, nor would I ever, so I don't know what it would feel like to have a significantly disabled child dumped off in my house.

I think it's fairly clear she didn't know how to contact the mother. Otherwise, the child wouldn't still be there for weeks on end with no contact, as was stated in the news articles. No one had contacted them for weeks. After a disabled child was dumped in her lap.

I'm a little hesitant to judge her. I've never walked in her shoes, and God willing, I never will.

I need not walk in her shoes to know you do not let a child die instead of getting the child medical care. You do not need to be a rocket scientist to dial 911. I am a very non judgmental person but this is one time I cant' not be judgmental . This women could drive a car. This women knew right from wrong which is why she concotated an abduction story She had the skills to insure this child was safe and cared for she chose her actions. She as adult is responsible for what has happened to that child. No excuses.

 

[mjak]

Mjak - it's good that you do this voluntarily, and that you have the ability to take care of special needs children when your sister very carefully leaves them in your arms. Your sister sounds like a totally devoted mother who is watchful for her children and makes sure everything is in place before she leaves her children.

Can you imagine your sister passing her kids around, and leaving them for indefinite periods of time, including Christmas, without any support from her?

*the bump in the road feels different depending on whether you're riding in the front or the back of the bus*

Kudos to you for helping out with your nephews. It's not clear that this woman had any prior training or even a heads-up on how to take care of this boy, when she herself is a single mother with a child. She may not have normal intelligence, and may have never meant any harm, but simply panicked and didn't know what else to do.

I could be wrong. I guess it's time to wait for the autopsy for further info.

I know I am being extremly judgmental of this women but I can't accept her actions under any circumstances. The only excuse I can possibly accept is she was unconcious for the last two weeks due to a diabetic coma or something like that and woke up and the child was gone. Now we know this did not happen. Prehaps my own circumstances makes me more judgmental.
At age 18 I while waiting for a bus at a mall in the middle of December found a 4 year old child wandering barefoot thru the mall parking lot. I was waiting for a bus because I could not drive at that time due to my disabilities. In spite of my disabilites and knowing I would miss my bus I choose to get that child and bring him to the police. Yes, I an 18 year old special ed kid who had difficulty doing such basic things as dialing a phone or writing a simple note new I needed to get this child to safety. So like I said unless this women was unconsious do to medical reasons I can't not judge her.

mjak

 

[mysteriew]

The boy's mother, Amy White, had allowed him to stay periodically with Sloan and the boy's grandparents for the last month. The grandparents last saw the child on Dec. 15, and White asked State Police to check on the boy last week. Police did not find the child but did not have enough information to file a missing persons report, Mills said.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1446132

I am not sure what this means, but I take it that the mother did make attempts to make contact with the child.

 

[KatherineQ]

I am not sure what this means, but I take it that the mother did make attempts to make contact with the child.

I don't know what that means either - it's very cryptic. I'm sure as this case progresses, it will be clear what happened. My best guess is she was trying to locate her sister, and didn't know enough information about where she lived to send the police to the correct location?

I don't know.

 

[KatherineQ]

Here's another article, with more details. I don't believe her anymore - the boyfriend's dad says her story was "he hit his head on the bathtub". I don't believe it. Kids hit their heads on bathtubs and it's an owie, and a bump, and it doesn't kill them.

http://www.wtrf.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=7625

 

[mysteriew]

I am not sure why Amy White didn't make contact with her child on the 15th, and I am not sure why Tonya Sloans didn't call for an ambulance when she says that he hit his head. But I am not sure why you are blaming the Mom? A parents responsibility is to care for their children. And if they aren't able to care for them (which does sometimes happen even when the child is not disabled), to make sure they are put into the hands of someone else.
In this case, she put the child in the care of her mother and a cousin. Who knows why? At this point we don't know yet. For all I know she may be dying of cancer. She may have a broken leg. There may be many reasons why she put the child in care of others.
I would blame her if she was unable to properly care for the child, yet made no effort to make sure that he was somewhere where he could be cared for. So why should I blame her because she tried to make sure he was cared for by giving him over to family.
I don't believe Sloans story either. I do feel that we are getting closer to the truth now. If Sloans is saying that he hit his head on the bathtub, it is probably to cover for the fact that he had a head injury. Sloans must be getting worried about them finding him, so she is setting up her cover story.

 

[Amraann]

I am going to venture to guess that this aunt is not the mothers sister but possibly the fathers..


Maybe the mother lives in another state? And this was an agreed upon visitation so that the paternal grandparents and aunt still maintain contact with him?

This to me would explain why the mother could not just go to the aunts house and check on him..

As a side note... What the hell is wrong with the police involved??
Anything short of not making direct eye contact with this child does not work for me. If someone calls you to check on their child then you had better check.
"Police did not find the child but did not have enough information to file a missing persons report, Mills said. "
If they did not find the child what other freakin info do you need to know he is missing? Um he isn't there and you can't find him??
At last check that would be missing!

 

[T'sNana]

IMO, if the aunt didn't mean any harm to the child, etc., etc. WHY WON'T SHE SAY WHERE THE HECK HE IS?!!!

 

[mysteriew]

KatherineQ, there seems to be many who pass their kids off, or semi abandon them, due to mental health issues or drugs or just because they don't really want the kids. But until there is something that shows some evidence that this is the case, I refuse to blame the mother. Just as there are many who will semi abandon their children, there are just as many who provide loving care and due to circumstances are unable to provide that care temporarily.
I am not ignoring the issue, I just think it is premature at this point until more is known about her.
I don't know anything about Sloans and her bf either- is she the type who would move and not tell the mother? Or did her phone get disconnected? Or did LE not do a follow up on her call, so she wasn't sure what to do? It is just too early to tell yet.

 

[T'sNana]

Oh!! Sorry, I skimmed over that they were looking for him and didn't know she actually told them where to look. I have cotton for brains right now with this stupid cold. Who could do that to a child? I mean, even if she didn't have anything to do with his death, how could you just throw his little body away?

She did. They put him in a bag with a tire rim and threw him in the Ohio river!

 

[PrayersForMaura]

Boy reported missing Dec. 24
The mother of a missing 2-year-old from Logan County filed a police report Dec. 24 telling police she hadn't seen her son in seven weeks.

Amy White, mother of missing Hevin Dakota Jenkins, told police on Christmas Eve that she had given the little boy to her sister, Tonya Sloan, on Nov. 3 because of her hectic work schedule and some recent family problems, said Logan Police Chief Dave White

<snip>

Just one day before Sloan reported the boy missing, Amy White told Logan police she hadn't been able to reach Sloan since putting her sister in charge of the boy's care in November.

<snip>

Logan police officers said one of the reasons Amy White told them she turned her son over to her sister was so she could deal with some other family problems.


More: http://www.dailymail.com/news/News/2005122813/

 

[mysteriew]

Amy White -- the mother of missing toddler Hevin Dakota Jenkins -- sat down with 13 News Tuesday night.

"Whatever's happened to him it's came out of -- it's just been out of madness over something he's done or out of sickness just because they don't care," White says.

Reporter: But you don't believe anyone killed him?

"I don't believe he's in the river. Of course -- I'm a mother of four kids ... Yes, I'm going to say he's not dead."

There are two sides of Amy White. One is in denial.

"And when the truth comes out I'll just go get my son 'cause I know my son's not dead."
http://www.wvnstv.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=7635

The mother of a missing 2-year-old boy still has his Christmas presents waiting for him under the tree.

And Amy White said that's where they'll stay until she is reunited with Dakota Jenkins, whether it is in her Logan home or a funeral home. White reported her autistic son missing Dec. 24.

"He could look at you and frown and that would hurt you and would make you want to cry," White said. "He could do anything wrong and then smile at you and you couldn't whip him.

"He was my all-star. He stood out in my days, even when he had problems."

Police believe the child is dead and that his body has been dumped in the Ohio River near Huntington. Divers today were to begin their third day of searching.

Friday, White became concerned about her son's whereabouts when she called her sister, who had been caring for him since Nov. 3. White said she gave Dakota to her sister while she dealt with personal issues, but she expected him home for Christmas.

When she asked to speak to her son, White said it took nearly two minutes for anyone to come to the phone. She immediately knew the mumbling person on the phone wasn't her son.

"If you gave Dakota a phone, he's not going to let go of it," White said. "He would have been so excited. That wasn't my son on the phone."

"She babied him more than I did. She would have done anything for him."

However, White said her relationship with her sister has been distant in the past because of Sloan's drug problems and personal issues.

According to Logan County court documents, Sloan was charged with delivering a controlled substance in 1999 and pleaded guilty.

Other documents showed she was charged with armed robbery, malicious wounding and conspiracy in 1997, but those charges were dismissed.

White said she could forgive her sister, but won't rest until she finds what happened to Dakota.

"I would just ask Tonya to get in contact with me and explain," she said. "Just tell the truth, no matter who it hurts."

Until then, White must still tend to her three other boys <modsnip: Removed names of minor children>
http://www.dailymail.com/news/News/2005122933/?pt=15

 

[mysteriew]

More help and better technology is on the way as rescuers begin day three of their search for a missing 2-year-old boy.

Rescue officials stopped searching for 2-year-old Hevin Dakota Jerkins about 3 p.m. Tuesday near the 17th Street West Bridge in Huntington. They hope improved diving equipment from the FBI and a side sonar searching device from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources improves their chances finding the toddler, whom investigators believe was thrown from the bridge.

Still, a member of the divers' support team, Danny Neale, said the search is difficult and compared it to looking for a needle in a haystack, with what could be a gruesome discovery.

Incident commander Steve Murray said crews hope to use Ohio's side sonar device Thursday. He said it's so powerful that rescuers should be able to outline a knife's blade laying beneath the water.

"As each day passes you lose more and more confidence, but things could happen," he said. "(For example) the body becomes free from whatever its entangled in and goes down stream."

Usage of the State Police helicopter Wednesday allowed crews to search a wider area for Jenkins' body, while at least six boats dragged the river's bottom and combed its banks for any hope of finding the child.

No divers entered the Ohio River Thursday, despite river conditions that improved when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers agreed to hold back water at two area locks and dams, located near Greenup, Ky., and Gallipolis, Ohio.

Steve Vititoe, a diver with Cabell County Emergency Medical Service, said the conditions did improve, but said its still far from perfect as rescuers battle the elements and their own emotions.

The two-day search has forced the U.S. Coast Guard to temporarily close the river to commercial traffic. That means an economic impact for barges moving through the heavily traveled waterway.

USCG Lt. j.g. Lee Bacon said three barges have been delayed for about two hours, as his agency protects the divers.

Sloan and Milam's next court appearance is a preliminary hearing scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Jan. 6, 2006.
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051229/NEWS01/512290323/1001/NEWS

 

[Sherry67]

You know, I can only visit this site every so often....if I come here too often, I'm totally depressed for days. I can't understand how people can get so angry or be so dumb or neglectful that they do such horrible things to innocent children.
I REALLY think there needs to be a movement that insists on some legislation to find a way to protect these kids.
I guess I think it needs to start at the hospital when these kids are born. I don't know...maybe parents need to undergo some sort of psychological test before they are allowed to take their kids home from the hospital...maybe it should be manadatory for all parents - and a social worker should have to do a visit to the home to see if it is fit. Maybe friends , neighbors , family should be questioned . Like you should have to bring in character witnesses or something to be questioned. I know people are probably rolling their eyes at what I'm saying....but it's a sad day when it's harder to adopt a pet from the humane society than to take an innocent child home.

I know this all sounds impossible because of the work load it would create and how much it would cost.....but what other answer is there?

Remember many years ago when there was no MADD and drunks were virtually given a slap on the wrist when they hit and injured/killed someone ( I have personal experience with this - my husbands sister and her friend were killed in 1980 by a drunk - and he got 6 months in jail and a $500 fine....real STIFF penalty....people saw him back in bars right afterwards)
Anyway, remember when Candy Lightener got MADD enough to do something. She changed the drunk driving laws and saved many many live since then.
I think this is the type of thing that needs to be done to save kids from lunatics who just happen to give birth to them.

It's just so frustrating:furious:

 

[mysteriew]

At one time when there were larger families, older siblings learned to care for children by helping with younger siblings. Younger siblings learned by helping with neices and nephews.
Personally, I think that child care and 'life experiences' (premarital counseling) courses should start being taught in schools. Marriage licenses shouldn't be handed out, without proof of taking the courses.
Also, more followup should be done after taking a child home from the hosp. Some type of home health care to do a couple of followup visits and act as a resource for new parents.
And when they determine a parent is taking drugs, kids should automatically be removed until there is proof that they are clean again.

 

[BillyGoatGruff]

Boy reported missing Dec. 24
The mother of a missing 2-year-old from Logan County filed a police report Dec. 24 telling police she hadn't seen her son in seven weeks.

Amy White, mother of missing Hevin Dakota Jenkins, told police on Christmas Eve that she had given the little boy to her sister, Tonya Sloan, on Nov. 3 because of her hectic work schedule and some recent family problems, said Logan Police Chief Dave White

<snip>

Just one day before Sloan reported the boy missing, Amy White told Logan police she hadn't been able to reach Sloan since putting her sister in charge of the boy's care in November.

<snip>

Logan police officers said one of the reasons Amy White told them she turned her son over to her sister was so she could deal with some other family problems.


More: http://www.dailymail.com/news/News/2005122813/

Well, this explains a lot about the family situation--the autistic boy's uncles on his mom's side are murderers and his entire family is "familiar to the police" in the county. So this is a family of "Johnsons" (career criminal hillbillies), clans of which can be found throughout the Kentucky/Ohio and Ohio/Indiana borders.

 

[mysteriew]

Well, this explains a lot about the family situation--the autistic boy's uncles on his mom's side are murderers and his entire family is "familiar to the police" in the county. So this is a family of "Johnsons" (career criminal hillbillies), clans of which can be found throughout the Kentucky/Ohio and Ohio/Indiana borders.

Reading through the Mom's interviews, she seems pretty 'out there'.

 

[Sherry67]

her interview does seem real "spacey"....she waited for 7 weeks before she contacted police about her missing son?????

I mean wasn't her ditziness apparent to hospital personnel when she gave birth? Someone, somewhere should have had the sense to say "hey, this situation needs to be checked into by authorities".

I just see these situations as preventable.....I think legislation needs to be put in place to assure as much as possible that whack jobs aren't bringing innocent children home from the hospital to experience heaven only know's what.