Aug 16, 2008 11:54 am US/Eastern
Prosecutors Blame Cult In Toddler's Death
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
-
-
Javon's mother Ria Ramikissoon and four others are charged with first- degree murder in connection with Javon's death.
CBS
The body of a little Baltimore boy is found in a suitcase, and prosecutors are blaming his death on a religious cult.
Dennis Edwards reports the Department of Social Services now says they received calls about the child's welfare before he died.
One of the calls came from an anonymous source. A case worker went to investigate, but officials say the address they were given was for a vacant house.
Baltimore Social Services admits getting two warnings about the treatment of 15-month-old Javon Thompson, allegedly at the hands of 1 Mind Ministries leader Queen Antoinette.
"We're unable to locate any record to suggest that we got specific enough information that would have positioned us to react on the child's behalf in this case," said Molly McGrath with Baltimore City Social Services.
Several months later, Javon's body was found in a suitcase inside a Philadelphia storage shed.
Investigators say the boy was starved for two days at the urging of Queen Antoinette, the leader of Baltimore-based 1 Mind Ministries, because he wouldn't say "Amen" after meals.
When he died, Antoinette allegedly wrapped the body in a blanket, sprayed it with fabric softener to conceal the odor and had a ministry member leave it in a friend's Philadelphia backyard shed.
Javon's grandmother Seeta Newton says she too called Social Services looking for help.
"If Social Services and Baltimore City Police Department listened when I was crying for help to save that baby, he would have been alive," said Newton.
But Social Services says they have no record of calls from the boy's grandmother.
Case workers say the first caller gave them an address that turned out to be a vacant house, the second call came after the child's death.
"It's so important for any adult who sees a child they believe is unsafe picks up a phone and calls us and gives us as much specific information as they can, in terms of address, a time, a date something happened," said McGrath.
Javon's mother and Queen Antoinette are among five people charged with first-degree murder in connection with Javon's death. All but one are being held at Central Booking.
You can call Social Services at
410-361-2235.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Shocking Celebrity Suicides
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments