by KenTheDude » Thu Mar 17, 2011 2:11 am
This has been big news here in the Houston area lately:
Daycare Provider Jessica Tata Flees to Nigeria After Fire Kills 4 Children, Injures 3
By Ruth Manuel-Logan on Mar 2nd 2011 9:38AM
Jessica Tata left seven children alone at her Houston-based daycare to go shopping at Target last week. She returned to a blaze at her home that killed four children and critically injured three.
Now investigators are concerned that the Nigerian-born woman may have left the country in order to not face nine charges of reckless body injury to a child and three charges of child endangerment.
Tata, who ran Jackie's Child Care, allegedly left the children unattended to go to Target. A store surveillance camera shows the 22-year-old daycare provider entering the premises at 1:09 p.m. and leaving at 1:24 p.m.
The first call to 911 was made at 1:29 p.m. to report the fire. Neighbors told police they witnessed Tata drive up to the home at around 2:00 p.m., and when she opened the door, they heard her scream when she was met by a haze of smoke. Neighbors also said they saw bags of groceries in Tata's van.
Investigators believe the fire started from a pot of oil left unattended on the kitchen stove.
Seven young children were pulled from the blaze and immediately taken to area hospitals. Unfortunately, doctors could not save 3-year-old Shomari Dickerson, 20-month-old Elizabeth Kojah, 20-month-old Kendyll Stradford or 18-month-old Elias Castillo. As far as the other three toddlers, two remain in critical but stable condition and Shomari's 2-year-old sister, MaKayla, is showing signs of improvement.
No specific information on the remaining children's injuries was released. Dr. David Herndon, chief of staff at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Galveston, said in a statement, though, that "we are very hopeful for full recovery of patients who have these types of injuries."
Meanwhile, a warrant was issued for Tata's arrest on Sunday and a bond was set for $550,000. Reportedly, she fled the country hours later. Tata's family members are claiming that they do not know her whereabouts.
Parents and relatives of the children are up in arms about how the investigation was handled from the beginning. Reports show that though Tata was charged Thursday afternoon, the charge wasn't actually filed until Sunday, after the young woman had already left the country.
An arson investigator told prosecutors Friday they had been tipped the woman was getting ready to flee, but Donna Hawkins, a spokeswoman for the prosecutors' office, said information initially provided by the fire department wasn't sufficient to act:
"The state had to establish there were no other employees or adults on site at the time the defendant left the residence," Hawkins told the Houston Chronicle.
"I'm sorry, no there's no forgiveness for anyone who makes an income watching children and has an audacity to leave them for one second," Shomari's grandmother, Tracy Storms, told KHOU on Saturday. Storms also believes Tata should face capital murder charges in the case.
Authorities said the Houston Fire department has asked the U.S. Marshal's Office to intervene to have Tata extradited back to Houston.
If convicted, Tata could face up to 20 years in prison.