The girl died last Sunday from a stroke caused by blunt impacts to her head. Investigators noted the child appeared severely malnourished and had scald marks on her feet and hands. Her mother, Sierra Day, and Day’s boyfriend, Deonte Lewis, have been charged with aggravated murder.
“We want [the agency] held accountable,” the girl’s father, Mickhal Garrett, said during the rally. “They failed me. They failed all of us. Nobody should have to go through what we went through.”
He and other family members had been concerned about Aniya’s well-being for some time. Garrett was also in the midst of court proceedings to attempt to regain custody.
Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services had been prompted three times last year to investigate alleged abuse against Aniya, but social workers didn’t find reason to remove the girl from her mother’s home. An internal investigation is underway.
“We know that we are expected to see and recognize patterns of abuse and neglect and if the internal investigation determines we did something wrong there will be discipline,” county spokesperson Mary Louise Madigan said in a statement.
One of those three calls to CCCFS came last May after the owner of the daycare facility that watched Aniya called Euclid police to report that the girl showed repeated signs of abuse — “bruises, bumps and cuts on a regular basis” — and that she told staff that her mother abused her.
That report, obtained by WKYC (which you can read below), notes that when police arrived that day Aniya had dried blood on the inside of her left ear, large scabs covering the majority of her nose, and abrasions on her scalp. The daycare owner, who took possession of the operation in 2017, had made an incident report and in doing so found that there were previous reports detailing signs of abuse dating back to 2015. Those were provided to the officer and the county social worker who arrived at the hospital.
Sierra Day, when interviewed by the officer, blamed the abuse on the daycare center and said that Aniya frequently lies.
The 14 total reports of abuse compiled by the daycare center:
September 2015 – Bruise to right side of face, looked like hand print.
October 22, 2015 – Bruise to right side of face, looked like a hand print. Child cried most of the day.
September 12, 2016 – Bruises on face, eye and arm. Mother stated that Aniya had fallen out of bed and she removed some bandages from where Aniya had gotten shots.
September 21, 2016 – Bruises on her face, under her eye and on her eye lid. Aniya stated that mom did it.
October 25, 2016 – Bump on the head. Aniya was crying.
December 1, 2016 – Aniya had a bruise under her right eye and was crying. Aniya stated that mom had hit her. Mom stated that it happened at Applebee’s.
December 2, 2016 – Bruise on left? Aniya stated that mom has been hitting her.
December 6, 2016 – Rug burn type sear on left elbow. Aniya stated that mom hit her.
December 27, 2016 – Bruise on forehead. Aniya stated that mom and dad did it. Mommy hit me.
January 18, 2017 – Aniya came to school with several bruises on the face, arm and back. Aniya has a raised bruise on her left upper forearm. When asked about it, Aniya stated that her mommy had scratched her.
February 10, 2017 – Aniya has a dark colored bruise under her left eye. Aniya stated that mom did this. Staff had noticed bruises on her everyday when she comes in.
March 14, 2017 – Right side of lip. Busted lip.
May 15, 2017 – Scrape on top and under nose. Mother said child fell at park. Child says mommy pushed her down at home.
May 18, 2017 – Right side of head and ear. Swollen and dried blood.
Aniya is at least the fourth young child who’s allegedly died of abuse and neglect despite visits from county social workers in recent memory. Activists who rallied yesterday asked also that the community remember Ta’Naejah McCloud, Jordan Rodriguez and Alexandria Hamilton.
This article appears in Mar 14-20, 2018.
This is beyond appalling! The poor child was advocating for herself. Children rarely tell on parent. Yet repeatedly is telling daycare and who ever else that her Mom did this. Deplorable! No child EVER should be failed so badly by “the system”. My prayers to the father and his family. So tragic
But they are quick to take children who aren’t in danger or being neglected or abused but leave the one’s who need protection. The system is ass backwards and this baby didn’t deserve that no child does
this is fucking crazy how could someone do something to an innocent child smh…. the system is fucking backward i say all the social workers should be fired and new ones hired and retrained how many more innocent babys or children need to suffer ???? im a mom of a 2 yr old i can only how that father feels… it saddens me that all i hear is these babys dying and it all over the world like come on y0u got reports and ppl arnt doing anything about it IT SHOULDNT be 20 reports before a child is removed…. i think a protest should be done smh…. im so sorry the family is going thur this my prayers are with you all in this time
Well gee, when CFS workers call cops roaches after getting a parking ticket, do you really think they have the maturity and sense of responsibility to adequately investigate abuse claims?
They all need to be fired, This poor little baby had to suffer at the hands of the one that
was to love her and protect her, Poor little Angel..This is heartbreaking.RIP little Angel..
POOR ANIYA SHE REPORTED THIS SO MANY TIMES TO EVERYBODY AND NOBODY LISTEN TO HER!!! SO WHAT “NOW DO U GUYS FEEL BAD AFTER SHE DIED” WHEN ALL SHE WANTED TO BE IS W HER DADDY NOT STUPID AS MOM! ! WHO GIVES A FUCK ABOUT BABYMOMMAS NOW,, NOW IN DAYS BBAYMOMMA WANNA FUCK AROUND PARTYING GETTING ALL THIS CHILD SUPPORT AND FIND A STUPID MAN WHO ISNT GONNA BE FOR UR FUTURE BUT TEMPORARY!! THE STUPID LAW WOULD ONLY WANTED CHILD TO B W HER MOMMY CUZ THATS WHAT “KIDS SHOULD BE” FUCK THE LAW THIS IS WHY EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING CUZ THEY DONT PAY ATTENTION, TO BUSY ON ARRESTING PEOPLE FOR A STUPID TICKET! GIVE ME A BREAK PLZ! HOPEFULLY HE SUE ALL THOSE PEOPLE FOR NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO ANIYA. SHE TOLD U GUYS IN UR FACE WHAT THE RATCHET AS MOM DID. NOTHING BUT DISSAPOINTMENT IN THIS COUNTY CITY STATE. GOVERNMENT DONT GIVE A FUCK!!!!!
Sickening. The daycare did its job. The natural father wanted the girl. The child should have been removed after the third incident. I wish those who ignored these signs could experience a smack in the face with the same viciousness this poor child endured for not saving her after so damn many attempts to get help.
I am a mom whom am disgusted and deeply saddened by our system. This is one child of many whom have lost their lives to this”terribly broken system. This is not the FIRST and with such lack of care but GREED being first” motivator,I can for see near future it won’t be the last! Remembering for a second the 3 year old baby boy who lost his life after being removed from a loving home do to his baby sister having brittle bone syndrome.And the family never had gotten true Justice! Or the baby girl that was lost in Cuyahoga County system that they unlawfully removed from Maternal Mom; to never have been located after she went missing when a foster mom took her to Florida with out the county’s knowledge and Cuyahoga never followed up until five years later! And foster mom couldn’t produce the child.This is one of many failed cases,But we as a people owe it to this baby Aniaya Gerrett hoping I spelled her name right. We owe her to stop hiding and brushing these issues under a rug because as you see it’s NOT GOING AWAY…I have had my own run inn’s with the system and they failed my family also so I do have first hand insight at some of the problems to start addressing you know it’s bad when a worker is to protect the children and the people but their only interested is in buying food stamps SMH or they give the cases to conflicted works knowing their case loads are made up of family and friends, or you have political driven judges that are only interested in being re-elected or promoted to next chair so they diminish the oath they swore to up hold. My soul screams out!!! For this baby whom could have never deserved such betrayal from her MOM,the works,the police Or anyone else who knew of this but stood by and did NOTHING till she was laid to rest in heavenly .But she can count on everyone paying one way or another for the part they did or didn’t play in not aiding this lovely child. May you finally rest in baby girl now no one can stop your beauty from shining. My truly goes out to her father,family,and friends whom had the pleasure of embracing such A beautiful baby. I can only pray for full Justice and it doesn’t stop with the rachet Mom nor boyfriend being found guilty of all charges. God will rain Justice for all… Stay strong guy’s and God bless the people!
OMG they don’t do symbols sorry guys
So sad. That sweet little girl with big brown eyes is dead because humanity is disgusting. And now a small child never got to grow up. And the daycare didn’t take ANY action after all this? Sickening.