On Friday two year old Delcy Whyte was laid to rest and her mother Shianne Whyte was charged for her death. While we’re all still shaking our heads about that one, there is another disturbingly similar case to report tonight – another two year old girl is dead, the apparent victim again of extreme abuse, except that this time the mother is not implicated. The young victim has been identified as Vernice Rodriquez.
Information reaching 7NEWS is that in April, Vernice was placed in the care of a family friend identified as Donna Budna of a Marage Road address in Ladyville. At that time her family believed that the bar they ran in the Cayo District, would not be a safe environment to raise their young child. So they left her with the guardian in Ladyville but it turns out, safety is the last thing this child would know. On Sunday morning the police received a disturbing call that led them to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. At today’s police press conference, Head of Eastern Division and Assistant Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie described the injuries that were observed on the child. 7NEWS also spoke with the child’s biological mother, stepmother and grandmother.
Allan Whylie, Assistant Commissioner of Police
“Acting upon information received sometime a little after 8 am, police visited the KHMH where they observed a two year old female child, living in Ladyville, suffering from bruises to the back, abdomen, and burns to the left foot. The initial information we have is that that child was being taken care of by a babysitter of a Marage Road address.”
Hilda Rodriquez, Grandmother
“Since I haven’t seen the condition that they found the child in, it is only what I’ve heard. They say she has all kinds of bruises on her body. I mean a two year old child. What could a two year old child do to an adult? It only can be an adult who things like that to a child. Justice, we need justice. Whoever did this to this child, this person needs to be held accountable because this child is dead. This child could have been an asset and now we’re without here and someone needs to answer for that.”
Reyelle Gonzalez, Mother
“Only God knows, I just want whosoever did it – for them to just pay for the crime because my baby is too young for them to do that.”
Hilda Rodriquez,
“We don’t want this to be just another interview and it is going to go in the archives and go on the shelf. We want justice to be done, we want something to be done. Too much crimes are being done against children and it just keeps going on. We want justice.”
The family told 7NEWS that one day they received a phone call from one of Budna’s relatives who reported that Budna had informed her that the child had started suffering from fits. The family however does not believe that is reason why the child may have received her injuries. The police have detained Donna Budna and she was questioned for most of the day. She remains at the Ladyville police station for questioning. Her biological parents were also questioned. A post mortem on two year old Vernice Rodriquez is scheduled for Tuesday.
