Mom's son, 2, died of SIDS in 1995

Mom's son, 2, died of SIDS in 1995

Officials review case after new abuse charge

Emily Miller, a licensed foster parent for 10 years, was a good mother, her ex-husband said.

JACK KRESNAK
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Friday, 11/5/1999

The 1995 death of the 2-year-old son of a woman -- who this week allegedly tied her 9-year-old son in a sitting position on a plastic bucket -- was attributed to sudden infant death syndrome, the Wayne County medical examiner said Thursday.

But SIDS for a 2-year-old is unusual, said Medical Examiner Dr. Sawait Kanluen, prompting him to review the case.

"SIDS is very unusual for a 2-year-old," Kanluen said. "That's why I wanted to review this case.... I have to get more information."

Kanluen said there was little medical information in his office's file on the death of the child, DuJuan Miller, who died April 11, 1995, in the home of his mother, Emily Miller.

Emily Miller, a longtime Detroit foster and adoptive mother, had adopted DuJuan two months before his death, according to the Wayne County Family Independence Agency.

Miller often took in medically fragile children and was noted for her meticulous record-keeping and spotless home on Bewick Street on Detroit's east side, officials said. DuJuan's medical history is not known.

A disabled child, 4-month-old Ieisha Dyson, died under Miller's care in January 1993, officials said. Kanluen said he was trying to find death records on that child who, according to court records, had a serious birth defect: She was born without a complete brain. Such children rarely survive beyond a few days, Kanluen said.

Miller has declined to comment as Detroit police and the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office continue an investigation that began Monday when her 9-year-old son, who has cerebral palsy, was found by police tied with a dog collar and leash to a large plastic bucket containing urine.

Miller's former husband, Lawrence Miller, said she won many awards from the FIA for her care of dozens of children.

Steve Thomas of Detroit said that for 3 1/2 years he made twice-monthly deliveries of medical supplies for the foster children to Emily Miller's home. The supply company Thomas worked for went out of business about three years ago, he said.

"I knew her to be a God-fearing woman," Thomas said Thursday. "She was always nice, her home was always kept well. She had a lot of problem kids, some of them right out of Children's Hospital."

The 9-year-old found tied to the bucket is virtually nonverbal, officials said. He is to undergo a series of medical and mental tests to determine what, if any, trauma he sustained.

This article was kindly provided by Jack Kresnak President & CEO of Michigan's Children