2-Year-Old Abuse Victim Returning To Foster Care

2-Year-Old Abuse Victim Returning To Foster Care

November 15, 2008

MILWAUKEE -- A 2-year-old girl abused in foster care may be headed back to foster care after her release from the hospital.

Her brother, 1-year-old Christian Thomas died Tuesday of head trauma after their aunt and foster mother, Crystal Keith, was charged with reckless homicide and physical abuse.

The children’s uncle, Alondia McClellan, said that the state will not let any of his family members have custody of the girl.

State Won't Let 2-Year-Old Live With Family

The mother’s parents wanted custody, but they live in Georgia and it created oversight problems for the state. McClellan said on Friday morning the state told the grandparents that they will not get custody of the girl. Because the abuse occurred at the hands of a family member, they will not be considered for another family placement.

“I'm not going to lay down and accept it neither, because they failed us. How can we sit back once again. Who knows where they're going to place her,” he said.

The 1-year-old and his sister were permanently placed with Keith in June after being removed from their mother's house. Police said the children were abused there as well.

Keith told police that the children were behaving themselves and things went well at first. However, recently Thomas began to cry a lot so Keith began abusing the child.

According to the criminal complaint, the girl "had a large number of injuries which appeared to be the result of severe abuse and neglect," police said. The injuries included burns, broken bones and there were signs of nutritional and medical neglect.

McClellan wants to know how social workers missed signs like these. The state placed the children at Keith's home based on allegations of abuse by the mother, he said. The mother was never charged, and her family denies any abuse. '

McClellan said that the children’s mom is epileptic and suffers seizures.

“She has a sickness, but it's not to the point where they have to take her kids,” he said.