Posted 7:20 am Thursday, May 31, 2012
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Cherokee County Child’s Death ‘A Touchy Situation’
By KELLY GOOCH
Staff Writer
Cherokee County authorities are revealing new details about an infant death that occurred over the weekend in Wells.
Although the identities of the family members and witnesses were not being released Wednesday, the child is identified in a report as Faith, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Capt. John Raffield said.
Raffield also addressed how the child died.
“I don’t think (the parents) did anything to the child to kill it. I think it died of some complications, and they just didn’t seek help,” he said.
“I can’t talk about why. It’s going to end up being a touchy situation anyway because you have to deal with separation of church and state and the powers and religious beliefs.”
That’s because he said family members are part of a religious group that moved into the Wells community.
Raffield said maybe six or seven members came to the Wells area about eight months ago from Dallas on a bus, which was left on the side of the road.
Some families lived in houses that were purchased while other members live in the Wells Manor Apartments on Wright Patman Drive, where authorities responded over the weekend.
About 4 a.m. Sunday, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office received a call in reference to the death of a 3-day-old infant, according to a news release.
The person told officials that the child was born on May 23 and died around 1 p.m. on Saturday, the release states, but they did not immediately call authorities. The person also told officials that they prayed over the child before calling 911, Raffield said.
According to a news release, deputies, emergency medical services and investigators responded to the scene and found the infant in a bassinette next to the bed in the master bedroom of the apartment.
The mother, father and several adults, who identified themselves as elders of the church the parents are members of, cooperated with investigators, the release states.
Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace Vera Foreman pronounced the infant dead at the scene and ordered an autopsy.
Raffield said the sheriff’s office will give all the information from its report and witness statements to the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office.
Staff Writer
Cherokee County authorities are revealing new details about an infant death that occurred over the weekend in Wells.
Although the identities of the family members and witnesses were not being released Wednesday, the child is identified in a report as Faith, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Capt. John Raffield said.
Raffield also addressed how the child died.
“I don’t think (the parents) did anything to the child to kill it. I think it died of some complications, and they just didn’t seek help,” he said.
“I can’t talk about why. It’s going to end up being a touchy situation anyway because you have to deal with separation of church and state and the powers and religious beliefs.”
That’s because he said family members are part of a religious group that moved into the Wells community.
Raffield said maybe six or seven members came to the Wells area about eight months ago from Dallas on a bus, which was left on the side of the road.
Some families lived in houses that were purchased while other members live in the Wells Manor Apartments on Wright Patman Drive, where authorities responded over the weekend.
About 4 a.m. Sunday, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office received a call in reference to the death of a 3-day-old infant, according to a news release.
The person told officials that the child was born on May 23 and died around 1 p.m. on Saturday, the release states, but they did not immediately call authorities. The person also told officials that they prayed over the child before calling 911, Raffield said.
According to a news release, deputies, emergency medical services and investigators responded to the scene and found the infant in a bassinette next to the bed in the master bedroom of the apartment.
The mother, father and several adults, who identified themselves as elders of the church the parents are members of, cooperated with investigators, the release states.
Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace Vera Foreman pronounced the infant dead at the scene and ordered an autopsy.
Raffield said the sheriff’s office will give all the information from its report and witness statements to the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office.
