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Caretaker To Be Charged In Death Of Boy, 3

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Investigators Question Child's Caretaker

PHILADELPHIA -- The caregiver of a slain toddler is now in police custody, and authorities said that she will be charged with murder and endangering the welfare of a child.

Quazir Davis, 3, was found dead Tuesday in north Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office said Wednesday that an autopsy showed the boy died from blunt force trauma.

His caregiver, Alethia McKee, told police that the boy was hurt when he fell off the monkey bars at a playground.

However, a construction worker at the apartment -- who did not want to be identified -- said that she saw McKee carrying the child from the apartment at about the time the child was supposed to have been at the playground.

"I was walking in the building. She came out, the baby in her arms. The baby was dangling, like it wasn't moving, like it was asleep. She came out of the building and she was walking fast," the woman said.

Late Tuesday night, homicide and crime scene investigators combed through a north Philadelphia apartment on Tioga Street, removing several bags of evidence.

In an exclusive interview with NBC 10 News, the mother of the boy said she is in financial straits and doesn't know how she'll pay for her son's funeral.

The woman wouldn't comment about the caretaker, but did say she was a good mother.

"I did everything, as a mother, to secure my child," Davis' mother said.

Davis' father said he's been fighting for custody since the child was born, NBC 10 News reported.

"I wish you all could show her the pictures that I've got," the father said. "I wish you all could show her the pictures that I've got to look at -- from that beautiful little boy to that beat up little body."

Residents in the area told NBC 10 News that on Tuesday morning they called 911 because they heard a child screaming and crying. When police arrived at McKee's apartment, she allegedly told police that Quazir had a nightmare, had wet his pants and woke up screaming and crying.

2005 Aug 24