Baby Test Positive for Marijuana at Birth Ohio

FAIRFIELD -The red dots in 2-month-former Benjamin Morris' eyes didn't come from a camera flash.

They came from his father's abuse.

Benny, as his family called him, wouldn't stop crying. It was a piddling more than a year agone. Austin Morris, now 24, was tired. He had recently started working third shift every bit a security guard.

One day afterward work, he tried to get his newborn son to eat.

Instead of eating, Benny cried. So Morris brought his son close to his chest, shook him several times and tossed him confronting the wall. He hit the window sill and landed on the bed. He died a few days later.

"I just had a fit of rage," Morris later told police.

About a month earlier, he had moved with his married woman, Kristen Rader, from Sharonville in Hamilton Canton to Fairfield in Butler County.

That's of import because Hamilton County Jobs and Family unit Services had an open up case on the family. They knew the family moved, only never transferred the case to Butler Canton officials.

That's a violation of state policy, which require an agency working with a family unit who moves to notify the other county, according to Benjamin Johnson, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services.

Benny died on Jan. 15, 2015. His mother told Hamilton County JFS they moved almost a month earlier – on Dec. 18.

Even in not-emergency cases, Johnson said, a county must notify another county of a family'south motility inside 24 hours. Counties found non-compliant with this and other policies are monitored by the land and required to submit corrective action plans.  He noted that state officials ultimately have no power to enforce any changes at a local bureau.

Another Ohio JFS spokeswoman, Angela Terez, said the state never reviewed the Benjamin Morris instance, though it's non clear why.

Information technology's besides unclear exactly why Butler Canton social workers were not informed most the family'south move. Records maintained by JFS involving children are largely confidential nether Ohio law.

What is clear: The employee assigned to Benny's instance was overworked and unable to meet deadlines during the time the child died, according to the worker's personnel file obtained by The Enquirer through a public records request.

Colleen Posey received excellent performance reviews during her first few years at the department. Supervisors described her as a hardworking employee and skillful addition to the team. Posey consistently received compliments for teamwork and communication – until Benjamin Morris died.

Facing an extremely high workload, Posey struggled to complete her piece of work on time and encounter deadlines. She investigated 167 cases in 2015, her supervisor noted in a operation review.

In 2014, she investigated 106, according to her personnel file.

Posey had been commended for the way she manages her time. Merely in one attribute of her near recent operation evaluation, completing safety assessments on fourth dimension, Posey scored below the department's grading scale.

"Due to the loftier volume of example assignments (over) multiple months she began to spiral backwards in completing timely documentation," her supervisor noted.

Posey resigned after that year for undisclosed personal reasons and at present works at an IT and management consulting house. It's impossible to know if her workload played whatsoever part in Benny's expiry. Posey was unable to exist reached for this story.

Moira Weir, manager of Hamilton County Jobs and Family unit Services, declined an interview request from The Enquirer.

"With the mother not charged in the law-breaking, (Weir) feels confidentiality comes into play here," said JFS Spokesman Brian Gregg in an email.

Gregg also declined to discuss the case.

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Rebecca Ervin, a detective for the Fairfield Police Department who investigated Benny's death, said it was non her job to review how JFS handled the case and, therefore, could not speculate near that agency'south involvement.

"It was sad. That's what I remember," said Ervin. "I went home and hugged my kids at the end of the twenty-four hours."

Hamilton County social workers first became involved with the family when Rader gave birth to Benny. She tested positive for marijuana.

Rader has non been charged with a crime and police believe she had no interest in Benny's death. Just when her son was clinging to life at the hospital, she disagreed.

She blamed herself.

How Benny died:

Love at first sight: Morris and Rader met at Kings Isle.

They were just teenagers. She was continuing in line past herself when Morris saw her. He immediately noticed her pink hair. He idea she was pretty and cutting about twenty people to get stand up next to her.

They started dating shortly afterward.

Honey blossoms: Rader became significant in 2009. The couple had been dating for almost a year. She was 18, Morris was 17.

Married life: With a girl in tow,Morris and Rader married on Nov. 20, 2012. Morris described their marriage every bit a business affair.

"She married me then I could be on the insurance," he said.

Rader echoed that statement. Both had been unfaithful to the other.

"Pretty much equally presently equally nosotros got married I realized I didn't want to be with him," Rader said.

The breakup: Rader and Morris fought. It rarely got physical, but they knew how to press each other's buttons.

"Information technology'south weird," Rader told police. "It was kind of like we both thrived on it in a fashion."

On Jan. 24, 2014, she finally had enough. Rader wanted Morris to get out. Their daughter's 4th birthday was just three days away. Morris bought a charabanc ticket to Boston and Rader drove him to the Greyhound station.

They sat in the car together, trying to say goodbye. Their song came on the radio.

"Nosotros tin't practice this," Rader said.

A few days later on, she became pregnant with Benny.

JFS: A Hamilton County social worker tried to visit the family two days subsequently Benny was born simply the family wasn't home. Infirmary staff had notified the bureau because marijuana had been found in Rader'southward system when she gave nascence.

On Nov. vii, 2014, two days afterwards Benny was born, a worker first made contact with Morris and Rader. The following month, a worker tried to visit again. The family unit had moved. The agency called Rader the next 24-hour interval and obtained a verbal update on the family, including where they moved to.

Hamilton Canton JFS Spokesman Brian Gregg wouldn't discuss Benny's case specifically, but said in a prepared statement the presence of marijuana at birth is a "pretty regular occurrence in our customs."

"If we felt the kid was at risk for whatsoever reason, we would have steps to ensure safety," Gregg said in an electronic mail.

Benny died 28 days afterwards his mom told JFS the family moved.

Eye bug: Rader offset noticed red in her child'southward eyes on Jan. viii, 2015. Morris wouldn't talk almost it. So they fought, and their young daughter witnessed it.

"I'grand not proud of myself," she said.

Morris did non tell her what happened until she took their son to see an centre doctor. He texted her. He said Benny fell out of a swing because he forgot to strap him in. Police did not believe this story.

Doctors asked Rader if she thought Morris could have purposefully injure Benny. She emphatically said no.

Hospital officials couldn't find anything seriously wrong with Benny and asked her to bring him back later.

Rader had been on motherhood leave from her job in Mason. Her first day back was Jan. 6, 2015. After Benny's middle problems, she grew deeply concerned nearly him. For her, Benny rarely cried. When Morris held him, Rader told police, he screamed.

She told Morris he had to leave.

Her mother asked Rader if she wanted her to watch Benny while she went to work. She refused.

Morris had non adjusted well to the third shift. When he got domicile from work on Jan. 10, 2015, he went to sleep. He had worked from 10 p.m. to 6 a.k. Rader went to work as scheduled.

When Rader got home, she felt something wrong. She asked her husband. He said goose egg happened.

Rader tried to feed Benny at 2 a.m. He didn't swallow much. So he vomited, she told law. Rader worried, but Benny had thrown up when they fed him before. She put him to bed.

With Benny suffering from caput trauma that would eventually impale him, Morris and Rader had sexual activity.

When Benny woke upward at 7 a.m., Rader tried to feed him again. He vomited into her bra. He was able to continue food down well-nigh thirty minutes later on. She talked to the hospital, who said she could follow up on Mon. Rader went to work merely left early on because she couldn't stop thinking about Benny.

When she got home, he seemed stake. She held Benny and noticed a large lump on his head. She amused his feet. No reaction. She poured cold water on his head. Nothing.

Rader rushed Benny to the hospital. He started breathing in grunts. When hospital workers measured his weight, Rader thought he would cry. Babies hate being naked, she thought.

Benny didn't movement.

"It was like he was upset but he couldn't weep," Rader said.

Morris did not ride with them to the hospital but came when workers there began fearing for his kid'southward life. Morris most passed out when he arrived. Rader said information technology looked like he wanted to throw up. Hospital workers fabricated him sit down.

At the time, she didn't think annihilation of information technology. She felt terrible as well. Looking back on information technology, she told police, Morris knew he was in trouble.

"I'm (curse) if he dies," Morris after told police.

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When police force became involved, Morris made up several stories to explain how his son was injured. He first tried to arraign Benny'south injuries on his daughter, who is now 6. Morris said she was dancing with Benny and and so dropped him on their futon.

Doctors and social workers at the hospital told law Benny's injuries were not accidental.

Subsequently confessing to police, Morris cursed and put his face in his hands. His earth was collapsing around him. He was sitting on the couch in a room with drab walls when his wife called Detective Ervin.

Ervin asked him if he was ready to tell his wife what happened.

"I'll never be ready," he said.

Morris put his head dorsum in his easily and whispered, "There'south no way out of this."

Ervin told Rader, who was still at the hospital, what happened to Benny. Just she wanted to know why her husband did it.

Benny only wouldn't stop crying, Morris somewhen blurted out.

"He's never going to cry again," Rader can be overheard saying on the telephone.

Before Morris was booked into jail, he stood upwards and hugged the detective. It lasted 12 seconds. The detective did not reciprocate it. After the detective left, Morris knelt down in the middle of the room. He after asked police not to leave him lonely in the interview room.

"I'm a adept person," he told them.

He asked if he could hold an officeholder's hand.

On Jan. 15, 2015, subsequently multiple strokes, seizures and other complications stemming from Morris' abuse, Rader took Benny off life support. Information technology had been four days since she brought him to the infirmary.

While performing an dissection on Benny, Dr. Gretel Stephens said information technology was clear the decease would be ruled a homicide.

Morris pleaded guilty to murder last year and is currently serving a judgement of at least 15 years in prison.

The Enquirer wrote a letter of the alphabet to Morris in prison house. It was not returned.

These are the children who have died while Hamilton County JFS was involved with their family unit since 2003:

• Mikinah Smith, 1 year old. Died March 18, 2003.
• Esbin Reynoso, 11 months old. Died April nine, 2003.
• Sanajah Walton, iv months erstwhile. Died Sept. 23, 2003.
• Jaden Roberts, 1 year one-time. Died Feb. 10, 2005.
• Trustin Blue, 3 years erstwhile. Died Jan. xx, 2006.
• Adam Myers, Jr., 3 months quondam. Died Jan. 21, 2007.
• Alexis Board, fourteen months old. Died May 6, 2007.
• Savon Edwards, 2 years old. Died Dec. 27, 2010.
• Ti'yonna Barfield, seven months erstwhile. Died February. 18, 2011.
• Damarcus Jackson, 2 years sometime. Died October. 21, 2011.
• James Livesay, 2 years old. Died March 12, 2012.
• Robin Cottingham, 1 year erstwhile. Died Aug. xv, 2013.
• Tyrelle Central, 2 months erstwhile. Died Oct. 1, 2013.
• Benjamin Morris, 2 months old. Died Jan. 15, 2015.
• Jayniah Watkins, three months old. Died March 15, 2015.
• Glenara Bates, 2 years old. Died March 29, 2015.

Sources: Hamilton Co. Dept. of Task and Family Services; Enquirer research; Hamilton Co. Common Pleas Court.

Baby Test Positive for Marijuana at Birth Ohio

Source: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2016/03/03/who-failed-baby-benjamin/79849866/

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