A fourteen-month-old baby girl died on Saturday afternoon and this evening not even the doctors can say what or who killed baby Jaisha Smith. Police report that Jaisha drowned in about 5 inches of water inside a bucket while she was at her babysitter's home. Tonight, we have confirmed that a post mortem was inconclusive; Dr. Mario Estradabran cannot say what caused the infant's death. That's just one more complication in a story that's full of twists. Keith Swift picks up the story on Saturday morning, the last time Jaisha's parents saw her alive.
Keith Swift Reporting,
On Saturday morning 21-year-old Elsy Hunter left her 2 year old son and her 14 month old daughter Jaisa Smith in the care of this young woman: 13 year old Josselin Rocibel Avelar (Avellar). The children were left at Josselin's Ebony Street home and for a brief few minutes they were in here alone on Saturday afternoon.
Josselin Avelar says that at about 2 pm on Saturday she left Jaisha sleeping in this crib. She returned about 20 minutes later, after going to the store, which is when she began a frantic search for baby Jaisha. That search ended in this corner.
Josselin Avelar, Babysitter
"The mom brought me then baby like about ten thirty and she brought her and I went to buy for them. When I came back, the baby was already in the
bucket and I took her to the hospital and when I took her, they told me that the baby was dead."
Keith Swift,
How long did you go for?
Josselin Avelar,
"Just like twenty minutes and when I came back, the baby was already in the bucket. I left the baby in here sleeping and when I came back, (it seems like) she came down and because I had her baby bottle on the bucket, and it was in the water, when she saw the bottle in the water she wanted to get it and that is how she ended up in the bucket."
Avelar says she feels partly responsible and empathizes with the mother. She says normally she would have left the children with an adult upstairs but she didn't because the kids were sleeping. The mother Elsy Hunter was on duty at Carol's Pizza when she got the news. Her estranged common-law husband is 41-year-old Hubert Smith. He is the father of Elsy's two children and got the news of Jaisha's death on Saturday night.
Hubert Smith, Father of Deceased
"One of my friends notified me at about seven thirty the night, Saturday night, they told me that my baby drowned in a bucket. So when I went to the police station to look for the baby's mother, I couldn't find her so that is what I know."
And today Smith admitted he didn't know much. He didn't know who was the baby sitter and more importantly he didn't know the sitter's age
Keith Swift,
What role did you play in your daughter's life?
Hubert Smith,
"Sometimes I used to spend time with her. I used to go and visit where they used to live. The Saturday when my pickney died, I passed and saw my two kids at about eight thirty the morning. So when I heard the news at seven thirty the night, I was shocked."
Keith Swift,
You didn't know who was the babysitter?
Hubert Smith,
"No."
Keith Swift,
You know the babysitter was only 13 years old?
Hubert Smith,
"I learnt that Saturday night when they told me."
Keith Swift,
Would that change things for you?
Hubert Smith,
"I don't know what the law would do because I didn't know that."
Elsy Hunter was in the hands of friends and family this afternoon at the morgue
and was too grief stricken to talk to us. But while the father can claim he didn't know the baby sitter was only 13 years, Avelar says everyone knew she was thirteen years old, a very pregnant 13 year old who told me this morning that her age was no secret.
Josselin Avelar,
"The mommy told me to take care of the child."
Keith Swift,
Did the mother know your age?
Josselin Avelar,
"She knows."
But no is one assuming or asserting any blame. All agree baby Jaisha's death was an accident.
Hubert Smith,
"I think it was an accident. You know how life goes like that."
A tragic accident which may have been avoidable
Again the results of the post mortem were inconclusive. Police would only say that furthers tests may be necessary. Both of Jaisha's parents are from Nicaragua but they met in Belize. The father Hubert Smith says he is already paying child support and will petition the court for full custody of his surviving son.
