Janiya’s mother had initially been jailed on contempt and child abuse charges because she refused to talk about the girl’s whereabouts.
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Janiya Thomas, an 11-year-old girl reported missing earlier this month, was confirmed dead this week after her body was discovered in a freezer delivered by her mother, Keishanna Thomas, to a relative’s house in an Oneco neighborhood.
The Manatee County case illustrates the system has not been completely fixed – despite the Miami Herald’s lengthy investigative series of reports that exposed state Department of Children & Families oversight neglect in all too many cases and the needless deaths of children.
“It is Janiya Thomas”, Assistant State Attorney Arthur Brown responded. In 2013, the report also claims Thomas dropped bleach on Janiya and discolored her skin. The investigators insisted, “The mother does not take responsibility for any of the issues or violent behaviors”. After a home visit, investigators closed the case after noting that Thomas’ home was clean, the child would not speak to officials and mom appeared to be cooperating.
But for years, investigators dismissed safety threats.
In the case of 2-month-old Chance Walsh, who was found buried in a stand of woods in North Port, Carroll said the department hadn’t had contact with the baby, but had previously removed seven other children from Chance’s father, Joseph Walsh.
-In 2012, burns on a child prompted suspicion of child abuse reports, but a doctor said they appeared to be accidental and there were no signs of abuse.
Last year, one of the children said his mother pulled down his trousers and beat him with an electric cord.
“In both these cases, there’s no question we had system failure”, Carroll told the Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee.
“I’m not here to comment on Keishanna Thomas or what’s going on”.
Family members have said little about Janiya’s death, telling The Associated Press only that they were speechless and heartbroken. When asked how long, the child said it was a week or so, with Janiya even eating in the bathroom.
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“She didn’t make the right call that day”, he said. In Manatee County, the sheriffs office not DCF oversees child protective investigations. Another child said the mother used a belt and punched Janiya.
