Yolanda Davis holds Julissia Batties' photograph at her New York home, Aug. 26, 2021. (Desiree Brazils/The New York Times).
NEW YORK Despite the constant churning of Bronx bodega workers, one customer stood out when she walked up to the deli counter and placed her order. It was a cheeseburger with cream cheese and jelly.
She was just 7 years old and living alone. Ernie Slade was the store janitor and he remembered her well. He saw her standing there, holding her food stamp card and waiting for her food.
Under her pink mask, it appeared that she had a small bruise under her right eye. Slade realized that she had to have crossed a busy intersection of East 138th Street with four lanes by herself to reach the store. He considered taking her to the nearby police station. No. It is better not to interfere with the business of others.
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Julissia Batties was found dead in her apartment just around the corner of the bodega. She had been beaten to death. In her final months of life, her short and tragic story was like that walk to the Bodega in plain view, but in danger.
She was surrounded by a variety of case workers, social workers, judges, and city agencies as she grew up. Because of concerns about her older siblings being abused, her file was almost as old as she is. Officials determined where and with whom she lived, and checked that she was being properly fed, clothed, and educated. In the final week of her life, they received a call regarding her welfare. It is not clear if the call about her black eye was made before she died, something that none of the guardians could have foreseen.
Julissias' death was not investigated for more than two weeks. According to the medical examiners, she died from blunt trauma to her abdomen. According to law enforcement officials, her 17-year old half brother claimed that he repeatedly hit her for eating his snacks hours before she died. He has not been charged. Julissia, her mother, told Julissia that Julissia had hit her head and fell on it.
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Multiple investigations are ongoing to determine if something was overlooked or if warning signs were missed. Julissia's safety was a concern to neighbors, who noticed that she sometimes got out of control or bruised. These claims were investigated. She could sometimes become anxious or even angry when it came to being with her mother. Is she fearful or precocious?
These questions draw attention to a fragile system which has been restructured in order to reunite families. The city agencies have been criticised for being too quick in removing children from their homes, even for the most basic of reasons. Family court judges and the city's Administration for Childrens Services sought to reunite foster kids with their birth families as often as possible and streamline the process.
Julissia was told this course of action in 2016. In 2016, a judge ordered that Julissia be released to her mother for a trial discharge.
This strategy will be questioned by the agency. A spokesperson for ACS stated that the death of Julissia, 7-year-old, was a tragic tragedy and that they mourn her loss. To ensure children's safety and support for their families, we are currently reviewing this case.
Julissia and her mom, Navasia Jones, were not separated because her mother had gone through therapy and parenting classes. She also had custody of one of her older children and a younger brother to Julissias, who was never removed from her care.
Gladys Carrin, an ex-children's services commissioner, stated that Julissias mom seemed to be making significant progress and convincing authorities that she had little chance of regaining custody.
She said they got it wrong because the child died. That's the bottom line.
Carrin stated that there was no single decision that could have explained what happened. There were many people involved and there was consensus at some point. Everyone said, OK, we think she is ready to have this child.
Julissia was born to Jones and Julius Batties on April 26, 2014. Court records show that she was taken from her parents' custody immediately by the child welfare agency. The agency determined that her safety was at risk due to her parents' failure to provide minimum care.
Jones' home was not in trouble at all. According to a later report, she had already lost custody over her five other children when they were discovered with signs of abuse.
Julissia was six days old when she was taken in by Yolanda Davis, her paternal grandmother. Davis apartment is in Brooklyn's Crown Heights section. Jones was allowed to visit for the first time. According to court records, she held her infant daughter and refused her return. Davis called the police. Jones was not allowed back.
Snapshots taken in Davis home's girls bedroom show the passage of years. They range from her time in a bassinet in pink onesie to her graduation portrait in preschool in red cap and gown.
Davis stated that I took great care of my granddaughter and took excellent care of her. I did whatever she asked me to do, it made her day more enjoyable.
They would walk together to Julissias public school, Public School 755. We would run together and say, I'm going to beat your grandma! I will beat you! Davis said, "Don't cheat!" Let shed laugh.
Julissia's parents tried to get in touch with her. Batties was permitted to visit her weekends on certain occasions, provided Jones, her mother wasn't present. Jones attempted to regain her rights to visit Julissia, her children and to gain custody, according to court records. She completed required parenting classes and agreed to anger management.
Judges ruled that she was not prone to uncontrollable emotional outbursts.
She was a child of unstable parents. Kathy Ferguson, a former neighbor and friend, stated that she was raised by her grandmother. Jones, a teenager, had fled by the age of 17 and ended up living in Brooklyn in a duplex with her friend. Ferguson stated that she soon found herself in a relationship with her uncle, a 25-year-old man.
Ferguson stated that someone is giving you a place to call home, warm meals, and a bed. This is what girls do when there's nothing else.
Jones and the older man had one son. The first of her six children would be the one who, 17-years later, would inform the police that he punched Julissia the last day she lived. The home was volatile and the police were always present.
Ferguson stated that her family was a mess and she raised her children in the same environment. Ferguson also said that Jones once took her to therapy. She then got into a fight with Jones.
Ferguson suggested Jones could be a loving mother. As long as her children behave well, she would buy them anything they wanted.
Ferguson stated that she loves her children, but her mind wanders. As a child, I can't imagine living in her house.
Court records show that Jones was referred to mental health services several times over the years. According to Natasha Ferguson (Kathy's daughter), she attended parenting classes more than once at court hearings or meetings at the foster agency that was handling Julissias case.
Natasha Ferguson (32), said that it was frustrating. There were some things she didn't want to do. She did what she had to do.
Julissia's mother's appearances in her daily life and her hostile relationship with her parents were very disruptive. This culminated in 2017.
She was 3 years old when her grandmother removed her from her care and she was placed in foster care due to the ongoing domestic violence between her parents. According to the agency, her father had come to visit her without Davis home supervision and threatened to harm Jones and other children in a dispute.
Davis wrote a plea to the agency asking that the girl be returned to her. Davis was only accused of letting her son see her daughter at her house. Julissia was ordered to return by a judge later that year. He stated that Julissia had been removed from her grandmother's home because the child welfare agency had stepped too far.
Jones was allowed to visit her children by that time. According to family court documents, Jones expressed her desire to see her children again. Julissia started treatment in Crown Heights' mental health clinic when she was five years old. These notes offer insight into her relationship to her mother and are based on her sessions.
She colored and screamed non-stop, appearing anxious and distraught, according to a social worker in 2019. The worker also wrote that she gets anxious when mom is mentioned during session. When Grandma mentions that she is visiting mom, she displays anger at Grandma.
Julissia was due to visit the clinic in January 2020 with Jones. As she waited for her mother to arrive, the girl seemed nervous and rigid. However, Julissia immediately relaxed and started talking more when Jones was not coming.
Julissia is subject to quite a lot of trauma every time she has contact with her biological mom, according to the supervisor.
It might seem surprising, given this background, that Julissia was later sent to live with her mom.
Court records show that the outcome was not a sudden change of plans. It was a long process that led to a charted course for a system which prefers that children live with their parents when it is safe. Julissia's case began last year as a trial discharge from Jones home. It became final this year.
Julissia moved in with her mother to the Bronx on the 10th Floor of her parents' apartment in April 2020 as the city was under the attack of the pandemic. She was described by her neighbors as shy and quiet, who loved unicorns and Minnie Mouse.
This changed over the summer as neighbors reported signs of trouble. Julissia went alone, riding in an elevator by herself and making solo trips to the bodega. Jones was heard shouting from her apartment, according to several neighbors.
Michael Roberts, a neighbor, stated that he heard her shouting at the children all the time. He also called the child welfare and police about the family. She would curse at them, she was always mad and frustrated. It was absurd to be so angry and walk out of your home.
Mina Cruz, a neighbor, reported that Julissia was seen waiting in an elevator by herself and running errands alone.
The state Office of Children and Family Services is prohibited from discussing confidential complaints received. It receives child-abuse calls and forwards them to the appropriate authorities. However, the statement stated that it was reviewing all information and taking appropriate actions in light of this tragic case.
It is not clear if the authorities responded to the calls of neighbors. A case worker should contact the child's family within 24 hours after receiving a credible complaint. Neighbors would not be informed of such a visit.
Davis, Julissias grandma, applied for visitation rights last spring. This fall, a hearing was set. On July 31, she received several text messages from Julissias' phone. These texts alarmed her, and made it difficult to determine who was sending them.
Grandma it Julissia, she began the texts. She continued, "I'm leaving today." My mom allowed me to live with her brother.
Davis asked:
Texas was the answer. She replied, "I'm not coming back."
Is it a child's dream, a hoax for adults or something else entirely? It's not clear, and it never took place.
Jasmine Jones, Roberts girlfriend, said that she had seen the girl on Aug. 6 with a swollen, black eye.
Jasmine Jones claimed she asked Julissia who had hit her. She claimed that her mother did it to them.
She claimed that she called the child welfare agency in order to report what she saw. Roberts saw Julissia two days later in an elevator with her mother. The girl was wearing sunglasses.
On Tuesday, Aug. 10, neighbors reported that they woke up to Julissias screaming in terror.
Janine Raveneau (51), who lives down the hall, stated that she knocked at the door. She yelled, "Help!" Help! Help!
Raveneau said that I ran into Raveneau's apartment. Raveneau said that the little girl lay down in her bedroom, halfway. Her older brother held her up.
Julissia was limp and naked in the arms of her older brothers. Raveneau recalled that Navasia Jones said it was because she had urinated on her clothing. The mother said, "She woke me up screaming for my name." I asked her if she was okay. She said that her stomach hurt.
Raveneau recalled Navasia's words to Raveneau: "The girl had fallen and hit her head on a table."
Navasia Jones dialed 911 and gave Raveneau the phone.
The dispatcher asked, "Can you place your hand on her stomach?"
Raveneau did.
She asked, "Did your hand move?" I replied, "No."
The news of Julissias passing spread quickly through the hall. Neighbors created a memorial with candles and stuffed animals, and then moved out of the building to the grocery store. Slade, the janitor remembered Julissia's solitary visits, her order of a cheeseburger and a bagel with cream cheese, jelly and his impulsive urge to take her to police.
Slade stated that I began to cry. It was all my fault. I should have taken her.
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