How Could You? Hall of Shame-Mikayla Tabin case-Child Death UPDATED

By on 3-19-2011 in Abuse in foster care, California, Foster Care, How could you? Hall of Shame, Jovannee Reynolds, Mikayla Tabin

How Could You? Hall of Shame-Mikayla Tabin case-Child Death UPDATED

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Fresno, California, 23-year-old foster mother “Jovannee Reynolds was arrested by Fresno police Thursday after a months-long investigation that revealed shaken-baby syndrome” in the death of Mikayla Tabin, the 7-month old girl who died in her care in September 2010.

“Since 2006, there have been at least three cases that resulted in a parent or guardian being charged with killing a child after Fresno County social workers already had been warned about abuse or neglect.”

Fresno Foster Mom, 23, Arrested in Baby Girl’s Death
[Fresno Bee 3/18/11 by Jim Guy]

Update:  Jovanee pled not guilty to “murder, assault causing death and child endangerment involving another foster child in her home.”

Her bail is set at $2 million. Her next court appearance is April 5, 2011.

Foster mom pleads not guilty in shaken-baby case
[Mercury News 3/23/11 by Associated Press]

Update 2: “A Fresno judge on Tuesday reduced bail to $200,000 from $2 million for a woman accused of killing her foster child.

The reduction came after Jovannee Reynolds’ attorney and her family guaranteed that she is not a threat to public safety and would make every court appearance.”

“During Tuesday’s hearing, Taleisnik cited Reynolds’ lack of a criminal record and strong family support. The judge said he had received seven letters from the family, asking him to lower her bail.”

Wow! 7 letters from family members is all it takes to reduce bail for a person accused of child murder in California!
This article also says that Jovannee’s husband was not arrested.

Bail Lowered for Accused Foster Child Killer
[Fresno Bee 4/5/11 by Pablo Lopez]

Update 3: “A Fresno woman who is accused of killing her 7-week-old foster child didn’t like children, but became a foster mother to make money, according to a police affidavit filed in Fresno County Superior Court.

Jovannee Reynolds and her husband, Randall Reynolds, became foster parents in August last year because the couple had credit card debt and outstanding loans, Fresno police detective Teri Terry wrote in her affidavit.

The affidavit was written in support of a search warrant to get copies of the couple’s bank records from Aug. 1, 2009, to June 7 of this year, court documents show.

A criminal complaint accuses only Jovannee Reynolds, 23, of murdering her foster child, Mikayla Tabin, who died in September at Children’s Hospital Central California. She also is charged with assault causing Mikayla’s death by violently shaking the child and child endangerment involving another foster child in her home.

If convicted, she faces at least 25 years to life in prison.”

“To bolster the case, police interviewed the manager of the apartment complex where the couple lived at the time of Mikayla’s death. The manager said she was surprised to learn that Jovannee Reynolds was a foster mother because she thought Reynolds hated children, the affidavit said.

The manager also said Jovannee Reynolds complained on a regular basis “about kids playing in the apartment complex and making noise,” the detective wrote.

In addition, before Jovannee Reynolds posted bail, jail officials recorded a conversation she had with a visitor, the affidavit said.

The visitor told Reynolds about the allegation that she didn’t like kids and Reynolds “acknowledged that this was the case,” the affidavit said.

The affidavit says Fresno County social workers placed Mikayla with Reynolds and her husband at their central Fresno apartment on the 3200 block of West Ashlan Avenue on Aug. 30. On Sept. 13, the couple took Mikayla to the hospital after the infant had trouble breathing.

When Mikayla died Sept. 20, the Fresno Police Department’s Child Abuse Unit and the Fresno County Coroner’s Office launched an investigation.

Reynolds was arrested March 17 after police said the investigation revealed Mikayla died of shaken-baby syndrome, a term used to describe symptoms resulting from violent shaking of an infant or small child’s head.

Police did not arrest Reynolds’ husband. The couple did not have children of their own.

Reynolds’ next court appearance is Thursday. ”

Police: Foster mother was just in it for money
[Fresno Bee 7/5/11 by Pablo Lopez]

“The Fresno County Superior Court judge in Reynolds case has not set a trial date.[as of July 6, 2011]

Fresno Attorney Praises Jurors in Casey Anthony Trial
[KMPH 7/6/11]

Update 4: On Thursday, August 23, 2012, Jovannee Reynolds, 25, was ordered to stand trial for the death of Mikayla Tabin. The preliminary hearing will be September 12, 2012.

“”It wouldn’t happen from a fall. It wouldn’t happen from a hit. It would have to happen from severe forcible injury,” said Philip Hyden, pediatrician and medical director at Children’s Hospital Central California.”

“She faces 25 years to life in prison on charges of murder and assault. She is also charged with abusing a 3-year-old boy in her care.She has pleaded not guilty and is free on bail.

Reynolds’ attorney Martin Teleisnik suggested Thursday that Mikayla’s fatal brain injury could be the result of freak trauma that occurred during her birth or even an assault by her foster brother. But he said the record is too scant to pinpoint a cause.

The only thing that was clear during the nearly five-hour hearing was the tragedy of Mikayla’s brief life.

Her biological mother tested positive for methamphetamine use when Mikayla was born, according to court testimony. Her mother abandoned her at a local drug-care facility.

Five days after birth, county social workers placed Mikayla with Reynolds and her husband, who had been licensed for foster care only a month earlier.

After two weeks in the couple’s apartment, Reynolds observed Mikayla having trouble breathing and took her to the hospital, where she died.

Reynolds’ husband is not charged with a crime.

Reynolds showed little emotion in court Thursday. She sat studiously, often taking notes during testimony and passing them on to her attorney.

Several of her family members were there to support her.

Prosecutor Jeff Dupras pursued a line of questioning that painted her as a woman with little experience with children and no patience with them.

Police investigator Andre Benson testified that Reynolds’ apartment manager told him “Jovannee was constantly complaining about other kids playing in the complex and making too much noise.”

Other neighbors heard regular and abnormal crying from Reynolds’ apartment, Benson said.

Benson also said that Reynolds passed off bruises observed on her foster son as the boy pinching himself or throwing himself against the wall.

Later testimony suggested that the boy’s new foster parent never observed such self-mutilating behavior.

County social workers were aware that Reynolds was having problems with her foster son before Mikayla’s death, according to county documents.

The boy, though, was not removed from the home until after Mikayla died.”

Fresno foster mom faces trial in 1-month-old’s death

[Fresno Bee 8/23/12 by Kurits Alexander]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update 5:, “A Fresno woman will not go to prison for the death of a seven-week-old baby. A judge sentenced Jovannee Reynolds to probation for the 2010 death of the infant in her foster care.

It’s been a long and difficult case. Reynolds was a 23-year-old foster mother in 2010 when she took in Mikayla Tabin – a child born addicted to methamphetamine and abandoned by her birth mother.

Originally charged with murder, the charges were reduced to manslaughter because medical experts were unable to pinpoint a cause of death. Reynolds accepted a plea deal to avoid prison, but the judge came close to rejecting the deal Friday.

Reynolds was arrested on murder charges in late 2010. She’s been out on bail as this case moved slowly through the courts. At a court hearing in 2011, this is how child abuse expert Dr. Phillip Heyden described the baby’s injuries.

“The only other thing I could think of that could cause this is being ejected out of a motor vehicle at a very high rate of speed or falling at a height of over 10 feet,” he testified.

However, based on other medical testimony, the prosecution later backed off – acknowledging her claim that the child was more likely to have been injured when Reynolds slapped her forcefully on the back when the child was choking. It was so hard, that it was determined the force was beyond what a reasonable person would use.

The charge was reduced to involuntary manslaughter and probation was recommended. But during the sentencing hearing, Judge James Opplinger wrestled with the reduced charge, noting Reynolds admitted to causing the death of a child.

He postponed sentencing for several hours as he considered the case. However, he ultimately agreed to the plea deal by the district attorney’s office. Reynolds’ attorney Curtis Sok thought the four-year probation sentence is fair.

“We are quite satisfied that the prosecution made a very fair offer and a fair agreement based on the evidentiary issues in this case,” he said.

In addition, he noted Reynolds has no criminal or violent history. Jovannee Reynolds has since married, had a child and is expecting another. She and her family left the court without comment.”

Fresno woman given probation for death of 7-week-old foster child

[ABC 30 7/14/17 by Gene Haagenson]

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