11-year-old accused in Maine baby death arraigned

[Green_Lantern]

Source: USA Today

SKOWHEGAN, Maine (AP) — The youngest person to be charged with homicide in Maine in at least 30 years bit her nails and looked down during her first court appearance Monday.

The girl was charged at age 10 with juvenile manslaughter over the summer in the death of 3-month-old Brooklyn Foss-Greenaway, who was staying overnight in the girl's home in Fairfield in the care of the girl's mother.


The girl's mother called police early on July 8 to report that the infant was not breathing, authorities said. The infant, who was reportedly fussy, was sleeping in a portable crib in the 10-year-old's bedroom that night, said the infant's mother, Nicole "Nicki" Greenaway of Clinton.

The state hasn't released the cause of death, but Greenaway was told that her daughter ingested medication and was suffocated.

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/10/22/11-year-old-accused-in-maine-baby-death-arraigned/1649315/

[pnwmom]

1. No ten year old should have been put in charge of the overnight care of a fussy 3 month old.

The wrong person's being charged, IMHO.

[lalalu]

3. This story is being reported in a way that is confusing.

She was not put in charge. Her mother was babysitting for the mother of the infant. Her mother, the babysitter, put them both to sleep in the same room. It was a stupid move because the 11 year old already has a record of violence. She should never have been left alone for a moment with the baby. I agree, with her history the adults should have made better choices. My hope is this child goes to a hospital and gets the treatment she needs.

[pnwmom]

5. She WAS put in charge if she was the only one in the room with the baby through the night.

If her own mother was asleep in another room, she was useless. The baby should have been sleeping in the adult's room, not the child's.

[lalalu]

7. In the real world it is not unusual

for an infant and an older sibling to share a room. In the real world many babies actually have their own room.

[pnwmom]

10. If the baby had been put in the living room to sleep, she'd probably be alive.

Putting a crying, fussy baby in with any ten year old makes no sense. There's no excuse for the babysitter not to have had the baby's crib with HER in her room.

(I live in the real world and I only had two bedrooms for my three children. I never would have put the baby with another child who could be disturbed. The baby got his own room and the older two were put together.)

[lalalu]

12. "I never would have put the baby with another child who could be disturbed"

On that i completely agree with you.

[HeiressofBickworth]

22. I was 10 when my sister was born

She shared a room with me from infancy and for many years. My mother's idea was to put the two girls together and my brother had a separate room. No one was injured. In the case in the OP, the more salient factors would be the history of the 10-year old girl and the proximity of the babysitter (room close by? out for the evening? makes a difference). It would seem that there is more information needed in this case.

[lalalu]

23. Maybe they are not telling more to protect the 11 year old?

[Maine-ah]

14. more than you think too

In a letter obtained Friday by The Associated Press, department caseworker Christopher Filteau wrote the sitter that she made mistakes by leaving the baby in her daughter’s bedroom. The caseworker said the 10-year-old has behavior disorders and was not suitable for caring for the infant.

“You neglected to provide the proper level of supervision by allowing Brooklyn to remain in (the girl’s) care,” the caseworker wrote Aug. 10. “Brooklyn Foss-Greenaway has died as a result of your neglect.”

The letter said the 10-year-old girl has “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,” ”oppositional defiant disorder” and “attachment disorder.”

The letter was first reported by the Kennebec Journal. The Associated Press is not naming the sitter because it could make known the juvenile suspect’s identity.

http://bangordailynews.com/2012/09/01/news/sitter-also-to-blame-in-babys-death-maine-agency-says/

[lalalu]

2. This 11 year old was very dangerous.

She is the child of the babysitter and not related to the dead infant. Despite numerous types of treatment she had a history of violence for years. It seems she was violent from the moment she could walk and talk.

The real issue was why her mother, the babysitter, left her in a room overnight with the baby. I am not sure if the babysitter has or will be charged for negligence. She knew her daughter was extremely violent.

My guess is they are going to trial so they can have this child committed. A really sad story all around.

[renate]

25. I hope you're right

The mother should absolutely have known better--I didn't even leave my babies alone with our golden retriever, who would never have even barked at a fly, for one single second, ever--and she's responsible for what happened, but this could turn out to be the best solution. The idea of that girl growing up without therapy is really scary.

[Nikia]

4. I don't understand why the mother put a young baby in the same room as the 10 year old

If you are responsible for a baby who has a good chance of awakening during the night, the portable crib should be placed nearest you. That should be the case whether or not the 10 year old has emotional and behavioral problems or not.

[pnwmom]

6. Exactly. NO ten year old should ever be put in that situation, where the adult is sleeping

in another room and the only one to take care of the three month old is the child.

[DollarBillHines]

8. I cannot imagine leaving a 3-month old with people in that situation.

The 11 year old's mother should be in jail, as well.

[adigal]

9. Charging a 10 year old with murder takes us back 100 years

This is not right.

[Gormy Cuss]

17. She's charged with manslaughter not murder and as a juvenile.

Last edited Mon Oct 22, 2012, 08:27 PM - Edit history (1)

Manslaughter indicates there was no intent to kill and as a juvenile the maximum penalty is being in juvenile correctional facilities until she's 21. That's maximum, not necessarily what a judge will decide. There won't be a jury trial.

Maybe that will give her the supervision and guidance she so desperately needs. Her mother acted recklessly by letting her 'care' for the infant without supervision. The baby had ADHD meds in her system, which is eerily similar to what happen in an earlier incident:

A 10-year-old girl charged with manslaughter in the July 8 death of an infant from Clinton nearly caused the death of another baby in mid-June, according to that child's parents.

Ashley Tenney and Chad Hopkins say their daughter, Jaylynn, who was then 8 months old, suffered a seizure and was hospitalized for two days after doctors found medication in her system that is taken by the 10-year-old girl, who had been left alone with the baby.

Given the amount of medication in her system, Tenney said Friday, Jaylynn "should have been dead."

http://www.pressherald.com/news/Former-housemate-says-10-year-old-injured-another-baby-in-June.html

[Chemisse]

20. If that is true, this child should have been under much better supervision, perhaps hospitalized

She should not have been left alone with the second baby - not for a minute - much less left alone with it for the whole night.

I think her mother is negligent.

[Plucketeer]

11. Whatever the ultimate aim is

putting the onus on the 10-year old is not right.

[tblue37]

13. Am I the only one wondering whether the 11-year-old is taking the fall for her mother?

Since the 11-year-old would get a shorter, less onerous sentence, the mother might have talked her into taking the blame.

The infant ingested medicine and was smothered. Usually it is an adult who gives a baby medicine.

I used to have a home daycare. I was always horrified when mothers would talk about giving their babies Benadryl to make them sleep. Fortunately, the mothers I sat for always listened to me, so when I told them never to do that, they stopped doing it.

Even if the child did dose the infant (which I still find not as easy to believe as some others might), she probably would have gotten the idea from her mother in the first place.

[pnwmom]

15. It did cross my mind. But either way, it's the mother at fault. n/t

[azurnoir]

16. wow when my oldest was a baby

doctor(s) actually prescribed Benadryl and /or Dimetapp for exactly that reason as a sedative for babies and not to just me either, I didn't think it was a good idea at the time

[Hestia]

18. and in our day doctor's prescribed Paregoric (sp?) (camphorated tincture of opium) which

was horrible nasty stuff, it was cut with camphor to keep opium addicts from taking it, for colicky babies. Cleared up any stomach bug right up though - best stuff in the world. Generally you took a couple of drops in a dixie cup full of water. That's all the taste you could handle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paregoric

[Gormy Cuss]

19. Social services placed blame squarely on the mother

Apparently though the prosecutors don't feel that they have sufficient grounds to bring charges against the mother (Huard.)

The Department of Health and Human Services issued a notice to Huard on Aug. 10, saying an agency review of the July 8 death showed that she had neglected the 3-month-old who was left in her care.

"Brooklyn Foss-Greenaway has died as a result of your neglect," said the notice, which was signed by a caseworker in the agency's Office of Child and Family Services, Christopher D. Filteau.

According to the notice, Huard's 10-year-old daughter suffers from significant behavioral problems, and it contends that Huard has failed to follow through on the required treatment. That treatment includes ensuring that the girl was taking medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder and attachment disorder.

http://www.pressherald.com/news/Former-housemate-says-10-year-old-injured-another-baby-in-June.html
The drugs in the infant's system have been reported as ADHD meds, not Benadryl. The girl was also accused of giving ADHD meds to another infant less than a month before this incident which may be why the social worker was so harsh. The agency can't officially comment on it.

[bettyellen]

21. so the Mom was also negligent leaving out drugs where this kid could find them again. Awful.

[IndyJones]

24. You may be correct. Interesting. I never would have left an infant with another child, but that's

just me. I always kept our infants right next to me. Seemed unfair to have an infant wake my other children all night, plus I just wanted them next to me.

Now I really wonder if your idea could be spot on. Why would that mother leave an infant with a child who had such problems?

[obamanut2012]

27. The girl had gven another baby her ADD meds

That baby should have died, but luckily didn't.

She had a track record of doing this.

[Nikia]

28. The girl was probably told that she takes ADD medicine to help her settle down

Which is why she may have thought that it was a good idea. It is disturbing though that it happened before. The girl should have learned that it wasn't for babies. The mother should have learned to keep it locked up.

[obamanut2012]

26. Did the dead child's mother know of the girl's violence past?

It would, literally, be better to have left the baby with a stranger from a babysitting-type service, or even in a climate-controlled car! I would never allow someone with a child like that to babysit my pets.

I am not blaming the mother, but this was just a perfect storm of bad ideas.