How Could You? Hall of Shame-Prince Thurman Billings 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 Little Rock, Arkansas, foster child Prince Thurman Billings, 15-months-old, died on February 2, 2016.

“A mandatory investigation is underway. Autopsy results aren’t back. And a family wants to put the brakes on a monday[sic] funeral until more is known.”

“Grandmother Jacqueline Sanders and others who loved 15 month-old Thurman Billings gather outside the DHS office where she last saw the boy alive.

Sanders recorded video of the visit two weeks ago. she [sic] says her grandson was healthy and happy…with no history of medical problems.

But on Tuesday he was pronounced dead at Children’s Hospital.

The obituary was in the newspaper Friday. The funeral is set for Monday. Sanders is using what little voice she has left after three days of crying to demand answers.

“Right here is the place where I came to visit my grandson,” recalls Sanders. “There his body lay right here across the street. And I ain’t got no answers.”

Sanders says her two grandchildren have been in foster care for about six months.

So far biological relatives do not know why Thurman died, where he was or who he was with.

“Based on your examination of the body…I know you are not the coroner…but you have seen the body. Is there anything suspicious or unusual?”

“Well I didn’t see anything out of line with the case,” says Garland Camper, mortician for Robinson Funeral Home. “I mean most of the body was still in tact. It was primarily a natural death the way it appeared.”

“And there is just a whole lot of questions that need to be answered,” says Sanders.

“You don’t know where they went…”

“I don’t know what day care they were at,” says Sanders. “Where the ambulance picked my grandson up.”

There is a court hearing set for February 18th.

Sanders says her daughter was set to continue fighting for the return of her children to their family.

The fight will now be for one child instead of two.”

Few answers after foster child death [KATV 2/5/16 by Jason Pederson]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update:”A state medical examiner says the death of a toddler in foster care last month is not suspicious.

A history of sleep apnea and breathing problems were likely factors.

And there are some lessons that may be learned from the passing of Thurman Billings.

Foster parents are trained by the state in CPR and standard first aid.

Foster grandparents, baby sitters or other caregivers are not.

That may have been a factor in this case.

(9-1-1 CALL)

“Sherwood 9-1-1.”

“We have a baby who is not breathing.”

Thurman Billings Jr. was 14 months old the day he died.

About all we know about that day is in a Sherwood police department review.

Thurman had been with his foster family since September of 2015.

The boy was dropped off at the parents of his foster mother on February 2nd at 7:20 a.m.

He seemed fine and although he was taking Claritin and Flonase daily for breathing problems his foster mom told police “…he had not had breathing issues for a couple months.”

He was put down for a nap in the same bed with his foster grandmother, who was sick.

At some point he vomited and three hours after his nap began he was found cool and unresponsive.

(9-1-1 CALL)

“His stomach isn’t moving.”

“O.K. Listen. I’m going to tell you how to give mouth to mouth, O.K.?”

“Yes.”

“I want you to pinch his nose closed and completely cover his mouth with your mouth. And then blow two regular breaths into the lungs about one second each…just enough to make his chest rise each breath.”

When asked by police the foster grandmother said “…she felt so ill that she wasn’t fully alert enough to notice if thurman ws breathing differently than normal.”

States like Missouri, Georgia, Indiana and Virginia consider bed-sharing between adult and foster children so dangerous it is forbidden.

Foster parents in Arkansas are instructed not to co-sleep because it can be unsafe but state code is silent on the issue.

And foster grandparents do not receive such training.

The foster family issued this statement to KATV: “With every procedure followed and every precaution taken, Thurman’s death was a shock to us. We loved him very much and find it hard to get through each day proceeding it. We pray for his biological family’s healing. He was the happiest baby and brought a smile to everyone’s face.”

Thurman’s two year-old sister was returned to her biological great-grandmother three days after her brother’s February 8th funeral.

Alleged drug use on the part of the sibling’s mother is what brought them into state care.”

Foster child death review [KATV 3/4/16 by Jason Pederson]