19-month-old J’zyra Thompson was baked to death in an oven by her toddler brother and sister after they were left alone at home.
The twin three-year-olds watched as J’zyra kicked the oven door after they made it “hot”, court documents claim. Mum Racquel Thompson and her boyfriend had gone out to fetch a takeaway pizza and a prescription, leaving four kids under the age of five in the flat without telling a gramdmother who lived in the same block.
They returned to find little J’zyra with severe burns and called paramedics to their home in Houston, Texas, but it was too late to save her. Detective Ronda Pemberton said:
“Upon arrival of paramedics they found a deceased one-year-old.
“We found the baby next to the oven. It appears to be accidental.”
Estella Olguin of the Child Protective Services said: “Both of them had left the children home alone.
“What was reported was that they had left to get a pizza. “The children were left at home for an extended amount of time and that’s when obviously the child somehow managed to be inside an oven.”
No charges have been filed, although the CPS said in a court filing that criminal charges were expected.
According to the court records the two three-years-old told investigators one of them put the J’zyra in the oven, and the other turned it on. When she arrived home Thompson, who is seven months pregnant with her current boyfriend’s child, tried to revive her baby with CPR but she had already died from severe burns. Authorities said no suitable relatives were found after the tragedy to look after the children and they have since been placed in foster care.
“The court found that there was an immediate danger to those three children and granted us emergency custody,” said County Attorney Amy Strickland. Two of the children in the apartment at the time are children of Fredrick Price who is the former boyfriend of Thompson and was unaware the children were left alone. He said:
“It’s very irresponsible, someone should have been here or I should have gotten a phone call, come and get my children.”
Price said he was unsure if J’zyra was his after the former couple failed to take a paternity test.
“I haven’t heard from my children in months,” add Price. “I’ve been trying to contact Racquel. “She was a cute little baby, I just didn’t know if that was my daughter or not.
J’zyra’s grandmother, Gina Dennis, said: “She was a sweet baby. This is unexplainable. I have no words.”
According to neighbours Thompson used to drive the kids without a licence or car seats.
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