Fort Worth father wants justice for 3-year-old son killed in homicide
Rodney Boone and his child’s mother asked their 3-year-old son’s case worker to investigate cuts and bruises he suffered while living with friends of the family, and was told that those injuries would be looked into, Boone said.
Boone, 25, said that he believes his son’s injuries were ignored.
Now the family is raising money to bury his son.
Amari Boone, 3, died Easter Sunday morning, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office. His death has been ruled a homicide caused by blunt-force trauma to his head.
“I’m just really trying to seek out justice for my son,” Boone said. “I want my son’s voice to be heard because he can’t speak out anymore. He was a beautiful, bright child who did not deserve this. I want his voice to be heard.”
No arrests had been made in the case as of Tuesday. Fort Worth police are asking to speak with anyone who knows any information about the homicide or any physical abuse that occurred at the apartment in the 1200 block of Dover Cliff Court, where Amari and his younger brother, 19-month-old Levi Boone, had been staying.
The Texas state Child Protective Investigations division also is investigating Amari’s death and working with the Fort Worth Police Department to find out what happened and who is responsible, according to a statement from Marissa Gonzales, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services spokeswoman.
“Amari was in the State’s legal custody and he and his younger brother were living with friends of their family,” the statement said. “Before the children were allowed to live in that home, background checks and visits to the home were conducted. The judge overseeing the children’s CPS case approved the placement.”
Amari’s younger brother now has been moved out of that home and placed in a foster home, Gonzales said. Specific details about the family’s prior involvement with DFPS are confidential, according to the statement.
Boone said he and the children’s mother, Ariana George, had lost their home and transportation, and turned to a family friend he has known for more than 12 years to help raise their children while they regained their financial footing. This was before the country was invaded by the coronavirus and people were forced inside, Boone said.
Boone said the appearance of his son’s cuts and bruises did not start showing up until the coronavirus stay-at-home orders were issued, about a month and a half ago.
Boone said he wanted to reunite the children with their mother, but he could never get a satisfactory reason as to why that could not happen. He and Amari’s mother had gotten jobs and he had gotten transportation while she was closing in on a place to stay, Boone said. Amari’s mother was also nearly finished with the classes that were assigned to her by CPS caseworkers, Boone said.
Boone said he last saw Amari during a video-chat session with a swollen face and a black eye. Two days later, on the Friday before his death, Boone said he got a call from Cook Children’s Medical Center, saying his son had suffered a seizure.
“It was a hard pill to swallow at the moment,” Boone said.
Boone said Amari’s care-takers told the doctors that the boy’s injuries came from a fall. But the doctors said Amari’s injuries were too severe to have been caused by a fall and were more consistent with someone who had been in a car wreck, Boone said.
“Every time I saw my son, he had a different injury,” Boone said. “If (the caseworkers) had been visiting him like they said they were, they would have seen something. But they told us they never found anything wrong.”
The results can be disastrous
According to health care workers at Cook Children’s, Amari’s death is the third child fatality in less than a month due to child abuse.
“It’s heartbreaking. We’ve seen a substantial increase in serious child abuse cases at Cook Children’s recently,” said Dr. Jamye Coffman, medical director of the Cook Children’s Center for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect and the CARE team. “We can’t say for certain if the effects of COVID-19 are driving this increase. All we can do right now is sound the alarm about what we are seeing.”
Since March 17, eight children have been admitted to Cook Children’s Medical Center for injuries related to child abuse. Three of those children died. To help put that number in perspective, Cook Children’s typically sees six child abuse deaths a year, a statement from the hospital said.
“It’s concerning to see this spike coincide with the pandemic, especially without knowing when it will come to an end or the ultimate toll it will take on our communities,” said Dr. Anu Partap, director for the Center for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect at Cook Children’s. “With stay-at-home orders in effect, coupled with the loss of jobs, support systems and routines, the results can be disastrous.”
Help for families
There are people willing to help families who are dealing with stressful situations, according to Cook Children’s officials.
For confidential support when you need help with the stresses of parenting, call or text Child Help at 1-800-4-A-Child (800-422-4453) or live chat at childhelp.org, a statement from Cook Children’s Medical Center says.
For help with teen-specific concerns, parents can call the Texas Youth Helpline at 800-989-6884 or text 512-872-5777.
For help with parenting tips, local resources and to learn about family fun, visit helpandhope.org, the statement says.
For mental health support and crisis care, call or text iCARE at 817-335-3022, the statement says.
For access to services through a social service hotline dial 2-1-1 or 877-541-7905 or visit 211texas.org, the hospital statement says.
For those with information about this child’s death, call the Fort Worth police Crimes Against Children Unit at 817-332-5036 or email FortWorthPDCACU@fortworthtexas.gov, a statement from police said.
