A Michigan mother is being held in jail after she called 911 an hour after finding her toddler dead. There are still a lot of details about the case that have yet to be released, but the family was found living in less than ideal conditions, and it appeared the child was suffering as a result.
In addition to the toddler who died, other children were found in the home in varying conditions. The mother was taken into police custody as authorities await court dates to determine how to proceed with the case. While they wait for their time in court, the mother's attorneys are trying to keep police from being able to publicly comment on the case.
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The mother waited to call 911.
MLive gained audio of the 911 call made by 24-year-old Brooklynne Davis of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
"Grand Rapids 911, where is your emergency?" the dispatcher asked.
"Can I, can I get an ambulance or something?" Davis asked.
"Is the ambulance for you or someone else?" the dispatcher inquired.
"My daughter. She’s unresponsive – she’s gone. She’s only 1," Davis replied. "I woke up this morning and she’s gone."
The dispatcher then asked Davis to clarify what she meant by "gone," and she told the dispatcher that she had noticed her 19-month-old daughter was dead about an hour before she called 911.
The phone call is disturbing.
The 911 dispatcher asked if the toddler was breathing, to which Davis replied, "No, not at all." The call was then transferred to another dispatcher, who asked Davis for additional information.
"She’s not breathing. I tried to do CPR and everything," Davis explained. "It looks like she’s been gone for a couple hours."
"Please tell me, why does it look like she’s dead?" the dispatcher asked.
"She’s not breathing," Davis said. "Her body is cold and everything."
"Do you think she’s beyond any help?" the dispatcher asked.
"Yes," Davis said emotionally. "I don’t know what to do."
Emergency personnel showed up and found a truly horrific scene.
The call ended when emergency personnel arrived at Davis' home in an apartment building. When they got inside, they found her daughter, Skii Swope, dead from what appeared to be starvation. Skii's twin brother was also listed in critical condition, according to MLive.
According to police reports, the home was infested with lice and bedbugs and covered in feces.
Police claimed that the toddler's eyes were sunken into their sockets and dark, the skin around her ribs and collarbone also was sunken, and they could see all of her bones clearly. She also had wounds on her thighs "as if her skin was deteriorating." When she died, Skii only weighed 13 pounds.
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Police called what happened to both Skii and her twin 'unconscionable.'
"This is one of the most horrific cases of child abuse I have ever seen," Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom said in a written statement shared by MLive. "Neither the first responders, or the detectives who worked tirelessly for justice, will ever forget this child. We are praying for the recovery of her twin brother who also suffered unconscionable abuse."
In the court documents, police wrote, "Brooklynne would normally drink heavily and scroll on her phone while the children were in their room, stating that (the older child) was easy to care for because he could cook for himself."
When questioned, Davis claimed the twins "did not go 24 hours without eating," but she also said that she would lay them down at night and not get them up for 14 hours. She also stated that she was the only caregiver for the children and isolated herself out of embarrassment over the condition of the apartment. She also feared she would be evicted.
Davis' attorney is trying to bar police from speaking publicly about the case.
Currently, Davis is being held in jail without bond. She faces counts of open murder and first-degree child abuse.
Davis was supposed to appear in court on September 10 for a probable cause conference. She was not in attendance, according to MLive. Despite her absence, defense attorney Marcus Chmiel argued that he wants the Grand Rapids police barred from making any public statements about the case. He called the comments made and release of partial evidence "bush league stuff."
The judge asked Chmiel to prepare a motion to be heard when Davis is next expected to appear in court for a preliminary examination, which is September 17.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
