January 9, 2008
Four Children Found Dead in Southeast Home Updated
WTOP has an incredibly horrific story from this morning. U.S. Marshals delivered an eviction notice to a home on 6th Street SE around 10 a.m. After the woman who answered the door let the Marshals inside, they discovered four dead children, between the ages of 5 and 17, on the upper floor of the house.
It's still not known if the woman is related to the deceased, but D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier says the woman is being detained and questioned. There doesn't appear to be an obvious cause of death, though it appears the children have been dead for quite awhile. We sincerely hope the next Andrea Yates story hasn't just happened in our backyard.
UPDATE 5:30 p.m.: Mayor Adrian Fenty returned early from his trip to New Hampshire to visit the crime scene. WTOP is reporting that the four juveniles were all related and were not enrolled in any District public or chartered schools. They were apparently being home schooled. The Washington Post says the dead children were all girls and sisters.
Mindy Good, a spokeswoman for Child and Family Services, told the Post that the agency had received one report about the family, in April, and "attempted to investigate." She said the family had appeared to have vacated the premises.
The woman who answered the door hasn't been officially identified or charged yet. Police said preliminary findings suggested that the deaths were the result of a domestic situation
UPDATE 8:57 p.m.: The Washington Post is quoting a law enforcement source as saying the woman who answered the door at the house was the mother of the four children.
Photo by the Associated Press
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D.C. Child and Family Services had contact with the family last year, but closed the case when they were told the family had moved to Maryland.
[Knock, knock]
"Hi, we're with DC Child and Family Services. We're here to check on the well being of your four children?"
"Uh. They moved to Maryland."
"Okay. Bye." [Crosses out family's name on clipboard.] "Alrigh. Good day's work. Now, it's Miller Time!"
Wow...and coming on the same day that Rusty flashed back to his 95-dead-babies-in-a-freezer post from last fall. I'm afraid whyihatedc might suffer a complete meltdown when he reads this one...
Tragic story. And I really fear that monkey's transcript is very close to accurate.
Can't wait to see how many people freak out and start pointing fingers at who to blame. It seems as Hizzoner for Life Barry is already trying to blame CPS, and Fenty feels the need to rush back home for a news conference that will tell us absolutely nothing. The evening news should be alot of fun tonight; lots of airtime saying nothing of substance.
Yep, between this & the home invasion robbery/assault in Palisades it's going to be a bunch of "bleeding leading" local news tonight.
that picture gave me goose bumps
"Police said preliminary findings suggested that the deaths were the result of a domestic situation."
Wreally?
If nothing else, at least the part about home schooling explains Barry's (and, doubtless, others') puzzlement at how no one at DCPS noticed the children's disappearance.
Sad doesn't even begin to describe this situation.
Wow...and coming on the same day that Rusty flashed back to his 95-dead-babies-in-a-freezer post from last fall.
WTF? Mr. Trombone of Why I Hate DC sure loves to complain, but I haven't heard a lot about what that douchebag has done to offer any assistance to the less fortunate in this city lately.
"I haven't heard a lot about what that douchebag has done to offer any assistance to the less fortunate in this city lately."
Cause complainin' is what we folks do best.
"I haven't heard a lot about what that douchebag has done to offer any assistance to the less fortunate in this city lately."
How 'bout offer them the opportunity to get an education, maybe some discipline, and a job. The "less fortunate" are just as accountable for their actions as the "fortunate".
This such a sad story. The Post published the photos of the girls today. When you see the photos the total fucked-up-edness of the situation becomes even clearer.