Pictures show a curly-haired baby with chubby cheeks, smiling for the camera. Jelani Williams was a healthy 9-month-old who loved standing in his bouncer, his mother told Sandy Springs police.
But hours after she dropped off the baby with a former roommate, little Jelani was dead, according to police. The boy’s femur was broken in half and he had a contusion on his forehead and bruising on his back, a doctor told police.
Jelani died after being taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite late March 31.
The little boy was the latest in metro Atlanta to die while in the care of a babysitter or day care owner — someone parents had trusted to keep their children safe.
In December, a babysitter allegedly beat a 2-year-old to death in Sandy Springs. And in February, an in-home day care owner in Dunwoody was charged with murder after a 4-month-old in her care died, according to police.
In the most recent death, arrest warrants obtained Thursday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution show the boy’s babysitter, Dehaven Johnson, gave investigators different stories about what happened to the baby, including that he had fallen. But police said Johnson’s account didn’t add up, and he was arrested and charged with murder, battery and first-degree cruelty to children.
Around 7 p.m., Jelani’s mother dropped him off at Johnson’s Sandy Springs apartment while she went to a club, according to his arrest warrant. Then, around 9:30 p.m., Johnson sent the baby’s mother a photo, police said.
“In the picture, you can see a deformity to the left leg and an abrasion starting to form on his forehead,” Johnson’s warrant states.
In an interview with police, Johnson said that shortly before 11 p.m., the boy was drinking formula on his own, so Johnson left the room.
“He stated that he was out of the living room for about two minutes when he heard the child crying,” Johnson’s warrant states. “He rushed back to the living room to see the child choking and dribbling formula out of his mouth.”
Johnson said he called the baby’s mother, who told him to call 911. Johnson told a 911 operator the baby was having trouble breathing, according to police.
When Johnson was told of the boy’s broken femur, he told investigators a different story, his warrant states.
“When asked how this injury could occur, he offered that the child could have fallen when standing or he could have fallen off the futon (approximate 12-inch height),” an investigator wrote in the warrant. “Based on my training knowledge and experience, an injury of this magnitude could not have happened from any of Johnson’s proposed ways.”
Johnson also told police he dropped the baby onto a futon, but the boy’s injuries were inconsistent with that explanation. Johnson was being held without bond Thursday at the Fulton County jail, booking records show.
Credit: DeKalb County Sheriff's Office
Credit: DeKalb County Sheriff's Office
After the baby’s death, a GoFundMe page was created to benefit his mother.
“Jelani was a happy little one and the center of his family,” the organizer posted. “He made a big impact on so many in just the little time he was here with us. He was able to brighten your day with his bright eyes and contagious smile.”
According to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least one in seven children have experienced child abuse or neglect in the past year, and that number is likely higher because many cases are not reported. In 2019, 1,840 children died of abuse in the U.S., though not all of those were while with caregivers. The youngest children are the most vulnerable to abuse, with about 45.4 percent of child fatalities younger than 1 year old, according to a report published in January by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The latest murder arrest is the second in less than four months involving babysitters charged with murder in Sandy Springs.
In December, Kirstie Hannah Flood was charged with malice murder in the alleged beating death of a 2-year-old in her care. Fallon Fridley died Dec. 10 after sustaining a skull fracture and multiple internal injuries, according to police. A medical examiner ruled the child’s death a homicide by blunt force.
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office / Sandy Springs Police Department
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office / Sandy Springs Police Department
Flood’s boyfriend, Jeffrey Scott Meyers, was arrested on second-degree charges of murder and cruelty to children. Flood and Meyers remained in the Fulton jail Thursday.
In February, the former owner of an in-home day care in Dunwoody was arrested and charged with murder after the death of a 4-month-old in her care. Amanda Hickey ran the Little Lovey day care from the basement of her home for more than 10 years. She is currently free on $200,000 bond.
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