Mother kills toddler in murder-suicide
Philadelphia police found a toddler and his mother dead in their home in what they believe was a case of a murder-suicide.
Police say Chevonne Thomas decapitated her 2-year-old son, Zahree Thomas (pictured) and placed his head in the freezer. According to prosecutors, Chevonne then proceeded to call 911, telling them that something had happened to her son, according to TheGrio.com.
The 33-year-old mother’s words to the emergency operator were described as ‘muddled’ by Camden County prosecutor’s office, but it was enough to raise suspicion that the child in question was in jeopardy. Though at first she blamed her son’s death on her boyfriend, she quickly confessed to having actually committed the crime herself, telling the operator, “You know what. I did it. I’m lying. I’m lying. I’m lying. I did it.”
Police immediately found the boy’s body upon entering the premises, then retreated from the house due to indications of a second, possibly armed and dangerous, person in the house. They later found Chevonne dead, after having stabbed herself in the neck.
Today, as reported by the New York Post, New Jersey’s Child Welfare Agency has come under fire for allowing Chevonne custody of the boy back in April, Chevonne lost custody of Zahree in 2010, after she left him in a car unattended, while she was in a drug-induced blackout.
The agency, which has been under federal supervision for frequent high-profile lapses, has said that it provided extensive care for the family, including counseling for substance abuse.
It has not yet been confirmed whether or not Chevonne suffered from mental illness, but neighbors told media outlets including The Post that the woman was “in a world of her own.” Toxicology reports have not been released yet.
