Amid 7 caregivers, baby winds up dead

In a somber week of child neglect, a third baby is smothered, apparently by accident.

By BRADY DENNIS
Published June 2, 2005

TAMPA - In the 48 hours before he ended up in the hospital, 4-month-old Teon Noel Thorpe had been cared for by seven different people, according to police.

He died Saturday at St. Joseph's Hospital, of serious head injuries, said police spokeswoman Laura McElroy. The various caregivers included the baby's mother, day care workers, babysitters and friends. Most troubling, McElroy said, is that several people entrusted to care for the boy "have a history with (the Department of Children and Families) of abuse or neglect."

She added, "This kid appears not to have had a chance."

She said investigators have not determined whether to file charges.

It was one of three troubling infant death in recent days, along with the apparent beating of a baby at the hands of her 7-year-old brother, and a baby that apparently smothered accidentally while sleeping in the same bed with his teenage mother.

On Monday, Jahanace Allen, less than 2 months old, died.

McElroy said the boy's 13-year-old mother was living at the Alpha House, a home for teenage mothers. Despite house rules that forbid mothers from sleeping with their children, the girl wanted to cuddle with her baby and brought it to bed, McElroy said.

While asleep, she accidentally rolled over and suffocated her son. McElroy said the young mother likely will not faces charges.

"Every indication is that this was an accident," she said.

Still, it has been quite a somber few weeks for those investigating the three infant deaths.

"These cases really highlight how vulnerable our children are," McElroy said.

[Last modified June 2, 2005, 01:07:17]