Tangela Harris fell on her toddler

[Unamused Cat]

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg107/snarkyphotos/TangelaHarris.jpg
Tangela Harris

A mother is in the Birmingham City Jail today on charges of capital murder and disorderly conduct, two weeks after her toddler in a full body cast died shortly after being taken to Children's Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama.

Tangela Harris, 25, was booked into the jail at 1:05 p.m., jail records show. Investigators have not obtained formal warrants but said she is being held on a no-bond bail warrant and will be transferred to the Jefferson County jail later today.

Lakiyah Stenson, 2, was taken by ambulance to Children's on Feb. 25 after her mother called paramedics to say she was not responsive.

Lakiyah lived with her mother in an apartment on 29th Avenue North in the Collegeville public housing community. Officers searched the home a couple hours after Lakiyah's death. "It's unlivable in that place," Birmingham homicide Detective Warren Cotton said. "It's all trashed out." The coroner's office said she died from neglect, Birmingham police said.

The girl had been in a body cast from the armpits down since Harris fell down the stairs while carrying the child in December, police said.

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/03/birmingham_mother_faces_capita.html

[jo_momma_82]

Do I detect a neck tattoo ?.... just sayin'

[Kalehue]

The coroner's office said she died from neglect, Birmingham police said.

Fell on her, then neglected her to death? How do you not feel guilty as all get out when your toddler ends up in a full body cast after you fell down the steps with her? You'd think she'd be attending to her every need even if only out of sheer guilt. Makes me wonder if that's how the child really sustained her injuries. What was this woman doing instead of taking care of her precious baby? Doesn't sound like she was cleaning her "trashed out" house. This is so unbelievably sad.

[silvahalo68]

The Birmingham toddler who died Wednesday after being taken to Children's Hospital will be laid to rest next week, while authorities continue investigating her death and await an autopsy report.

A Jefferson County deputy coroner on Friday said the report on Lakiyah Stenson, who was almost 2, could take several days.
...
No charges have been filed in Lakiyah's death.

Court records show that Harris, 25, is scheduled to go before a jury in May on assault charges stemming from an incident last year.

She was arrested April 29 and charged with second-degree assault, along with boyfriend Louis Stenson, according to court records. Anthony Ratcliff claims the two attacked him with beer bottles after Ratcliff told Harris' child, who was playing around his vehicle, to leave.
An anonymous neighbor told NBC13HD that 23 month old Lakiyah Stenson had special needs and had never walked before....:dong:

What a fucking loser, pathetic excuse for a mother. This child was injured back in December, she went on to live a miserable, painful life for several months after. She is said to have died from neglect...NEGLECT?? that means, not feeding her properly, cleaning her, caring for her injuries, leaving her to live in a pig sty....really, this is a nightmare. I can't imagine the tortures moments, from the pain and misery this child was inflicted with. You would think that the mother felt terrible about the accident that put her child in a body cast, but no....it appears she found her to be a burden so she let her slowly die. I can only imagine how many lonely anguished nights this sweet child lived through.....kisses sweet one...so sorry.

Fuck you Tangela Harris...I spit on you, you hateful, baby killer.

Rest in peace baby Lakiyah Antwonette Stenson...you deserved a life with love.

http://i39.tinypic.com/20qdf1i.jpg

http://www.al.com/birminghamnews/stories/index.ssf?/base/news/1235812594191660.xml&coll=2

[Special2bme]

http://i359.photobucket.com/albums/oo35/Special2bme/vidcap_030909momcharged.jpg
http://www.abc3340.com/news/stories/0309/602117.htmlted assault

[ohmarvellousme!]

R.I.P. Sweet baby Lakiyah. Such a precious little one, born to such a fucking heartless bitch, too stupid to appreciate the gift she was blessed with.


Tangela Harris, do the decent thing and fucking DIE.

[Special2bme]

Birmingham, AL - The mother accused of murdering her 23-month-old daughter is out of jail tonight after the district attorney's office dropped the capital murder charge against her. 25-year-old Tangela Harris was charged in the death of 23-month-old Lakiyah Stenson. The toddler was found unresponsive at a Collegevile housing complex on February 26th. She died that same day. Police said Lakiyah was malnourished and that Harris had failed to care for the child. Harris' attorney Eric Guster says Lakiyah was born three-months premature, her twin brother died two weeks after birth, and that the little girl's short life was full of medical complications from day one.

No word yet on why the charges were dropped. Guster says it's possible Harris could still face charges related to her child's death.
http://www.abc3340.com/news/stories/0309/602997.html

WTF I hope so possibitly of related charges



A Collegeville mother who was being held in the death of her almost 2-year-old daughter was released from the Jefferson County Jail Wednesday afternoon.

Birmingham police said they will continue to investigate Lakiyah Stenson's death and could pursue charges against her mother, Tangela Harris, in the future.

Harris was released from the jail, where she had been held without bond since Monday, at 4:48 p.m., according to the county jail log

The Jefferson County coroner's office said Lakiyah died from neglect, but police are awaiting an official coroner's report. Harris' attorney, Eric Guster, said lifelong medical problems, not neglect or mistreatment, led to the girl's death on Feb. 25.

Police took her to the county jail on Monday and announced that they planned to seek a formal capital murder warrant.

The child was in a body cast at the time of her death. Guster said that's because Harris fell down stairs while carrying the child in December.

Harris' other children were taken into DHR custody after Lakiyah's death. Guster said he could not comment on whether the children would be returned to her. Jeremy Gray -- and Toraine Norris --

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/metro.ssf?/base/news/123684572873100.xml&coll=2

Okay finding more there is hope yet thank goodness.

[MadmamainNC]

This child was failed on so many levels. Where was the investigation into the first injury? Unless the mother sustained injuries herself in the fall, that would be the only reason to half buy this bitches story in the first place. I know we can't go around placing judgment on every child's parents who bring them to the ER but for Hells Sake!

I am wondering if there was a CPS complaint filed back in Dec and no one bothered to fucking give a shit to look into anything?

Even many premies get a home evaluation before they leave the hospital. Where was that paper work? You send a child home in a full body cast without making sure proper measures are taken? DAMN IT! Stupid fucking people. One look at her home would have deemed her unfit and spared the little ones life.

[Insomniac]

What a pathetic excuse for a human being. I hope Tangela Harris takes another fall down a set of stairs and breaks her fucking neck.

Poor little Lakiyah, rest in peace.

[Unamused Cat]

Update: Charges dropped

The mother Birmingham police accused with killing her 23 month old daughter is no longer facing murder charges.

Tangela Harris was released Wednesday after prosecutors did not approve the charges because a final cause of death is unknown.

http://www.nbc13.com/vtm/news/local/article/mothers_attorney_she_did_not_kill_her_child/63505/

[Kalehue]

Since the coroner’s investigation isn’t complete, the police are not ruling out future criminal charges in the child’s death.


I wonder how they can drop the charges when the investigation isn't complete?

[silvahalo68]

Harris' other children were taken into DHR custody after Lakiyah's death. Guster said he could not comment on whether the children would be returned to her. Jeremy Gray -- and Toraine Norris --

Please tell me I've read that wrong...how? why? this is insane! these poor baby suffered, suffered...and they question whether her other children should be returned???

[Unamused Cat]

Please tell me I've read that wrong...how? why? this is insane! these poor baby suffered, suffered...and they question whether her other children should be returned???

I would hope they wouldn't return the children.

I wonder how they can drop the charges when the investigation isn't complete?

I think they were too hasty and went for the gold by filing Capital Murder charges. Lesser charges can be filed later.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Police officials said they sought the capital murder warrant after they received information from the Jefferson County Coroner's Office that the cause of death was negligent homicide.

However, police said, coroner's officials reconsidered and decided additional testing was necessary before issuing the final autopsy and investigative report.

"That being said, we had no choice but to drop the charges," until a final ruling, said Deputy Chief Herman Hinton.

"The coroner's final report is the key and will determine whether this is a natural death or a homicide," Roper said. "If the baby's medical condition caused her death, then God bless her soul. But, if she died due to negligence, it is our responsibility to hold the appropriate people accountable."http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/03/charges_dropped_against_colleg.html
“I know that she did not kill her child. I strongly believe that. I believe medical issues led to this baby’s death,” Harris’ attorney Eric Guster said Thursday.

She was born three months early and apparently digestive complications made it hard for her to eat.

Two weeks ago, she was transported to children’s hospital and pronounced dead. Monday police said she died from neglect and arrested her mother.

“Our detectives followed up on information they believed to be true at the time. They followed through and obtained warrants. So the information we released to be true from the evidence that we had and was presented by the coroner’s office,” Sergeant Johnnie Williams argued.

It turns out the coroner’s office had not finished their investigation and the final cause of death was still unclear.

“Now she has time that she can grieve. All of a sudden you bury your child than two days later you’re in jail accused of murdering your child, it takes an emotional toll on you. And that’s what it did. But hopefully from this point, she can move forward,” Guster pointed out.

Since the coroner’s investigation isn’t complete, the police are not ruling out future criminal charges in the child’s death.http://www.nbc13.com/vtm/news/local/article/mothers_attorney_she_did_not_kill_her_child/63505/

This sounds similar to this one:
Erin Brittany Markes starved her child
http://www.dreamindemon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2539

We were wrong there.

Not saying this woman didn't starve her kid, but given the fact the coroner hasn't helped the cops out much, I see no choice but to drop the charges.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

The Jefferson County Coroner's office ruled the February death of 23-month Lakiyah Stenson a homicide.

The little girl, in a full body cast for more than two months before her death, died from "sequelae of neglect," said Chief Deputy Coroner Pat Curry.

Though Lakiyah suffered health problems since birth, the neglect exacerbated her physical problems and ultimately resulted in her body just shutting down, authorities said.

A homicide by definition is when one person takes the life of another. Not all homicides are criminal.

"Now that we finally have a cause of death, we're going to review the case file to see if there should be a charge, and what that charge would be," said Jefferson County prosecutor Laura Poston.

Birmingham police declined immediate comment.
[...]
Harris' other four children, who range in age from 6 to 1, were taken into DHR custody hours after Lakiyah's death. Lakiyah and her twin brother were born prematurely; he died before leaving the hospital. The Alabama Department of Human Resources was involved with the family prior to Lakiyah's death.

Harris' attorney, Eric Guster, said it's unfortunate the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide. "If charges are filed, we will fully investigate this matter,'' Guster said. "My client is still grieving over the loss of her child, both of her children, and we certainly hope they don't charge her in this case."http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/05/death_of_collegeville_toddler.html

It will be interesting to see where they take this. If the neglect contributed to her death, how can they NOT charge her?

[Kalehue]

It will be interesting to see where they take this. If the neglect contributed to her death, how can they NOT charge her?

I agree. With negligent homicide at the least.

Thanks for the update.