Last night we told you about the tragic, almost unbelievable death of baby Delsey White. She was the victim of an extreme and hideous case of child abuse and died from fractures to her skull – while her 4 month old brother clings to life in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at the KHMH, also the victim of apparent abuse. But what monster would do such a thing to a defenceless child? Their mother, 21 year old Shiann White told police that it was her boyfriend who did it – but by yesterday evening – she had changed her story. And that’s why she went to court today charged for manslaughter.
Jacqueline Godwin has all the details.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
What could two year old Desly Whyte have done to cause the child to be so severely beaten that her skull was fractured? Or to earn a cut across the throat? Her mother twenty one year old Shianne Whyte first told police that her current boyfriend Leon Lopez was responsible, but today she was the one charged for the crime.
According to police she gave a caution statement stating that she had lied. But – even with that admission it is still not clear what happened early Sunday morning inside this one room wooden building where Shianne lived with her three children ages four months to two years old.
But a family friend who did not wish to appear on camera says Shianne was upstairs
for six hours and they returned to check on the child after that. Delsy was found lying under a sheet. Although it was extremely warm inside the home the little girl was covered from her chin to her feet. The friend says when she removed the sheet Delsy was stiff from the waist down and there was blood inside the child’s mouth, a cut on the throat and bruises all over the body. Delsy was breathing heavily and was unconscious.
It was then the friend said they rushed the child to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where she was placed on life support.
Delsy is the daughter of Earl Acosta Jr. According to the child’s grandfather his son and the mother separated when Delsy was only four months old. Earl Acosta says he did not find out about his granddaughter’s plight until she was in the KHMH and what he saw will haunt him for a very long time.
Earl Acosta Sr., Grandfather
“Well that was horrible and I couldn’t believe it all. It was very horrible the way how she looked, the cut under her chin, bruises on her body…”
Jacqueline Godwin,
Was her skull fractured?
Earl Acosta Sr.,
“Well I was the one that witnessed the autopsy. The death certificate has that there were two fractures on her skull.”
Acosta says his granddaughter’s hair was also gone. Acosta says he found out that Delsy would pull out her hair – possibly a stress reaction to whatever abuse she was suffering.
Earl Acosta Sr.,
“Nothing a child could do at that age to get you mad to hit her that hard.”
Acosta says he is the grandfather for only Delsy Whyte and today he laid her to rest.
Earl Acosta Sr.,
“She had at least two other children and I told her it was too much for her and so for her to give us Delsy but she didn’t want to. She said she would raise her, she’s not the first nor the last so we respected her decision.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
You feel any guilt? What’s going through your mind?
Earl Acosta Sr.,
“Well we feel guilty because we could have done a little better and go to Social or go to someone else. We suspected that she couldn’t handle feeding three kids, although she had this guy, but Delsy is just for us so we wanted Delsy. And like I told her at the hospital, if you had given us Delsy she would have still be running around and she cried and said that is true. But now it is too late.”
But it is not only two year old Delsy who was abused. The little girl’s four month old brother’s skull was also fractured. He remains in intensive care at the KHMH. Police say the mother told them that the baby fell down a flight of steps but the investigation suggests otherwise.
Earl Acosta Sr.,
“If the law doesn’t give justice, sometimes other things happen and people walk away but like I know, like I always say, God isn’t sleeping and Jesus loves little children and Delsy was a little angel so you bet, justice will be done.”
Jacqueline Godwin for 7NEWS.
This morning 21-year-old Shian Whyte a food vendor was charged with one count of manslaughter for the 2-year-old’s death. Additional charges are expected to be brought for the injuries caused to her other small child. Whyte was granted bail of $6,000 plus one surety of the same. Up until this afternoon Whyte was unable to meet bail and she was remanded to the Hattieville Prison.
