'We all loved him so much'

Family buries 'Baby Nathaniel'

Nicole Paseka

Smoke continues to rise near the grave of 20-month-old Nathaniel Saunsoci-Mitchell on Thursday at the Omaha Indian Cemetery in Macy, Neb. Nathaniel was buried on top of the grave of his paternal grandfather, Nathan Mitchell, Sr. (Photo by Nicole Paseka)

MACY, NEB. -- Black smoke curled into the air Thursday morning before a tiny white coffin arrived at the Omaha Indian Cemetery in Macy, Neb.

Two grandfathers and a great-grandfather of the child who was to be buried kept watch over the flames near the open grave.

"Even the fire itself represents life," said Adrian Saunsoci, member of the Omaha Nation. "Without that fire, we wouldn't be able to live."

Nathaniel Saunsoci-Mitchell, the 20-month-old son of Jacki Saunsoci and Nathan Mitchell, was buried at 10:30 a.m. at the Omaha Indian Cemetery, directly on top of his paternal grandfather's grave.

"Because he wasn't raised with his father's family, in this sense, we are giving him back," said Adrian Saunsoci, who in the Omaha Tribe's culture is considered one of the child's grandfathers. His biological sister is Olivia Saunsoci, the mother of Jacki Saunsoci.

"His grandfather will hold him in his arms," Adrian Saunsoci said.

Family members wept as they took turns shoveling the earth back upon the grave. Two red heart-shaped balloons that said "I love you" were released into the air on the chilly autumn morning, quickly disappearing from view.

Children carried flowers and toys to Nathaniel's grave, including miniature plastic horses and stuffed teddy bears.

More than 100 people attended the ceremony, circling around Nathaniel's coffin.

"The circle is one of the biggest symbols of Native life," Adrian Saunsoci said. "Nathaniel is in the middle. Nobody told them where to go. It just happens."

Nathaniel's great-great grandmother, Sarah Dick, wept throughout the ceremony, her hands cupped to her face. Dick said she never was able to meet Nathaniel because he was shuffled from home to home, and she is disabled and does not get around easily.

The hardest part of the tragedy is not knowing what really happened to Nathaniel, the great-great grandmother said.

"I just imagine everything," she said. "Maybe he was crying ... or whether he was knocked out and didn't hurt. It's like a puzzle, and a piece of it is missing. I need to find that missing piece."

Nathaniel died Sunday at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha after suffering severe head injuries. He was living with a South Sioux City foster family when his injuries occurred.

The Sioux City Journal has chosen not to print the names of Nathaniel's last foster parents unless criminal charges are brought against them.

Nathaniel also endured two breaks to his collar bone, a broken leg and a dog-bite to his nose while living in foster care, members of the Saunsoci family said.

No criminal charges have been filed against the child's foster parents or anyone else. The case is under investigation by the Dakota County Sheriff's Office. Criminal charges, if any, would not be filed until the investigation is completed.

Evan Saunsoci, another grandfather of Nathaniel's, said he has heard negative comments about American Indians since the child's death, including online feedback on the Sioux City Journal's Web site. He said it upsets him that people are so close-minded.

"As soon as they hear the word 'reservation,' they think the worst," Evan Saunsoci said. "It's not like that."

Evan Saunsoci said he knows Nathaniel was sent here for a reason.

"Maybe that reason is to show that our children are being mistreated," he said.

All of the Saunsoci family members said they wanted more than anything for Nathaniel to remain on the reservation with them.

Nathaniel suffered from severe asthma, and it was difficult for his young mother, who was 17 at the time of his birth, to care for him. Jacki Saunsoci completed rehabilitation classes for alcohol and drug abuse and also took a parenting class, her mother, Olivia Saunsoci, said. Olivia Saunsoci could not be granted custody of Nathaniel because she had a criminal record.

While Jacki Saunsoci was in rehabilitation, Nathaniel lived with his first foster parents, Robert and Susan Goodburn, who were shocked to learn of the child's death.

"He was a sweet little boy, and I wished they would have left him here," Susan Goodburn said on Wednesday.

Officials try to keep American Indian children in American Indian foster homes. After living with the Goodburns, Nathaniel lived with Jacki Saunsoci's sister, Tiara Saunsoci.

But he was removed from Tiara Saunsoci's home because of his medical problems, his grandmother, Olivia Saunsoci, said.

From there, Nathaniel went to live with another foster family in South Sioux City, where he remained until his death. The Saunsoci family said the foster parents were not members of the Omaha Nation nor the Winnebago Nation, and that the foster father was not American Indian.

Jacki Saunsoci remained calm throughout the ceremony and carried a scrapbook full of cute photographs of her apple-cheeked, smiling son.

"He was very sweet. He was really smart. He was very loveable. He meant everything to me," Jacki Saunsoci, 18, said after the ceremony. "He was my first baby, and everybody loved him."

Jacki Saunsoci said she knows Nathaniel is happy now.

"I don't want to grieve too much because his soul's not going to rest (if I continue to grieve)," she said.

Jacki Saunsoci's voice never trembled except when she spoke of the person or persons who might have harmed Nathaniel.

"I hope that whoever did it to him gets arrested and locked in prison or executed," she said. "They just can't get away with this. It's not right."

Young cousins who surrounded Jacki Saunsoci chatted about happy times with Nathaniel, such as when they taught him baby sign-language.

Nathaniel would bring his hands together when he wanted "more!" He placed his hands on his mouth when he was hungry. He put one hand over his heart to say "love."

Nathaniel loved chocolate-chip cookies and often had chocolate covering his face, said cousin Josephine Saul, 8.

Josephine smiled at the memory. "We all loved him so much."

Journal staff writer Nicole Paseka can be reached at 712-293-4276 or nicolepaseka@siouxcityjournal.com.