Too Little, Too Late for Saharra

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After too little, too late was done for Saharra, FYN has spoken with her mother, Jennifer Palmer, as well as several other family members regarding the status of the investigation of the circumstances surrounding her death.Palmer told FYN that the doctors told her that when Saharra arrived at the emergency room at Erlanger hospital, she was unconscious and nonresponsive. That’s when they discovered a blood clot in her brain. They immediately began emergency surgery to open her skull to try to relive the pressure on her brain in hope that they would be able to prevent any additional damage. They described her as being in a deep coma. After the surgeries, the doctor explained that for damage as extensive as what Saharra suffered, she had to have had significant head trauma within 24 hours of her arrival at the hospital and that the most likely cause of the clot was head trauma and the clot caused her to go into the coma, therefore falling down as her six year old brother, Elijah described. Palmer said that Elijah said they were playing and his sister suddenly fell and wouldn’t wake up but he yelled and yelled and the foster parents finally came in the room to find her in the previously mentioned state and took her to the hospital.

After receiving the news that her daughter was injured while in the care of foster parents Ronald and Clara Edwards of Ringold, GA, Palmer was transported to the hospital by her sister. Little did she know that she would have to make the most difficult decision a parent could ever imagine making…when to turn off the machines that were keeping her child alive.

FYN has also learned that the case, despite the home the children were placed in being in Catoosa County, this was a Fannin County case. The caseworker responsible for the placement and upkeep of the children is Amanda Murphy, with the Fannin County Department of Family and Children Services.

Another factor that makes this case so pitiful is the fact that Palmer had a scheduled court date of January 6th to regain custody of her children.

“They were in a therapeutic home”

said Palmer. Therapeutic homes are supposed to be more educated and qualified to handle children with disabilities whether it be physical, mental, emotional or behavioral. Sources told FYN that the typical foster parent gets paid around $15 per night that a child sleeps in their home. A therapeutic home makes between $50 and $110 per night a child is in their home. The range of pay depends on the significance of a child’s disabilities.

After her death, Saharra will undergo an autopsy to determine the cause of death and to document the significant bruising that was on the child’s body. The autopsy report should be ready this week and FYN will request a copy as soon as it is available.

Family members that are out of state are prepared to take the children in the event that they are not returned to Palmer when she goes to court on Monday.

“I just want them to be in a safe environment”

the source says.

FYN contacted the caseworker, Amanda Murphy, with no response. The director of DCFS for Fannin County, Kathy Henson, was called at 8:17 on the morning of January 2nd and a message was left. A second message was left at 10:30 am and we received a call back at 10:40 am. During this conversation, Henson stated that we would have to contact Ashley Fielding on the state level. A message was left for Mrs. Fielding at 10:50 am. FYN asked Henson if she had anything she wanted to say regarding the death of a child while in state custody and she responded

“No comment”.

FYN spoke with the detective secretary for Catoosa County, Jenny Evitt, and was redirected to Sheriff Gary Sisk’s office. We were told by this office that the autopsy was being conducted today, January 2, 2014 and that the report wasn’t ready yet. No arrests have been made at this time and that they could confirm that the child was deceased.

Arrangements for Saharra have not been made yet but we have confirmed that she will be at Akins Funeral Home in Copperhill, TN.

We will continue to provide updates on the developments of this hometown tragedy.

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