GUILTY IN - Zuhur, 4, & Zakariya Hassan, 3, found dead in closet, Indianapolis, 19 Sept 2010

[Paintr]

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/25128552/detail.html



Authorities said Farah's youngest child, age 2, was not put in the closet, as had been previously reported.

snip...

Prosecutors said that girl told a child advocate that it was hot in the closet and that she had difficulty breathing.

Authorities are awaiting a toxicology report, but said they think the victims died of positional asphyxiation, with high temperature in the closet and malnutrition as contributing factors.

snip....


The probable cause affidavit indicated that Farah told investigators that she feared her children could die because they had not eaten enough.

Family and friends from the Somali community were in court to show support for Farah.

"We are supporting her, but we have nothing to say to you," said one man as he left court.

 

[believe09]

The affidavit is very tough to read. No food, no water, limited ventilation and the heat. One of the youngest was NOT in the closet according to the oldest-he was what, left in the apartment to fend for himself while his mother went shopping and hung out with her friend? Why couldnt she have done that with all of them? It is still bad, but at least they would be alive.

The first reports I read indicated that they might not have been malnourished but the uncle stated in the affidavit that he begged her to eat and to feed them better.

Those of you who said she is going for PTSD defense of some kind are so right.

 

[Paintr]

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/25112463/detail.html

Neighbors: There Were Warning Signs Before Childrens' Deaths

"They always asked for help," said Jan Kline, who often visits her relatives next door. "My mom and I was going to the grocery the other day and one of the little girls walked up to us and grabbed a hold of my hand. I said, 'Now honey, you need to go on back home."

CPS and other neighbors said it's common for people to miss or ignore signs of trouble because they don't want to get involved.

"I think people are too scared to get in other people's business, but sometimes it's best that you do," said neighbor Kayla Mullins, who helped set up a small memorial outside the home and said it was the least she could after such a tragedy.

CPS can't do anything if no one comes forward, and sometimes a bad situation ends in the worst of circumstances.

 

[Paintr]

http://www.indystar.com/article/20100921/LOCAL1801/9210338/Police-2-dead-children-were-extremely-thin?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CIndyStar.com

Kline, 45, whose mother lives next door, said the children were often outdoors even in the recent extreme heat, and that they'd be "beating and kicking at the door," trying to get inside.

The yard, on the apartment's west side, offers no shade from the afternoon sun. Kline's 13-year-old son, Shawn, recalled tossing the children a water bottle and them passing it around and drinking eagerly.
The Klines did not alert authorities -- "we didn't know who to call," said Janice Kline.

 

[jnTexas]

OMG...so many people failed these children...why o why did she lock them in a closet...though i don't understand leaving them alone at all. leaving them alone in the apartment would've been better than the closet.
My heart aches for the oldest sibling. she will never forget that day ever. I really hope the Dad doesn't get custody. He obviousy left them there with nothing while he visited family and friends.

O and she should be charged with murder. If I lived in that town I would protest outside the court and jail..

 

[Paintr]

http://www.indystar.com/article/20100924/NEWS02/9240364/Initial-autopsy-yields-likely-causes-of-death-for-2-kids?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CIndyStar.com

Two children locked in a closet for 10 hours at their Southwestside home likely died of a combination of suffocation, heat and malnutrition, court documents say.

snip...

Daniels said the children weighed 25 percent less than normal for their ages and heights, and police said the temperature in the closet was 78 degrees nine hours after the bodies were removed.


snip...


Kroh also issued an order that prohibits Farah from contacting her uncle and two friends, who are now the state's witnesses. He set dates of Oct. 20 for a pretrial conference and Nov. 29 for trial.

 

[Paintr]

http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100924/NEWS/9240321

A 7-year-old Indianapolis girl told investigators she and her siblings usually slept when barricaded in an apartment closet by their mother, but last weekend she called out for the woman to open the door after realizing her brother and sister had died, according to court documents released Thursday.

snip...

Authorities have said Farah told police she “was not in her right mind” when she allegedly placed her children in a 6-foot by 1 1/2 -foot upstairs closet at Manchester Village Apartments about 6 a.m. Sunday. Court documents say Farah put a bed frame or mattress against the closet door to keep the children from leaving while she went to visit a friend for the day.

Seven-year-old Muntaaz Farah Hassan told investigators her mother often put children in the closet as punishment or when she needed to cook, according to a police affidavit. The girl said she sometimes helped her mother get the children in the closet when they got into trouble.

 

[believe09]

This poor girl. Just imagine when she can actually process this. I hate this story. And I think there was something very, very wrong with mom. She needed help and she was clearly unbearably overwhelmed.

 

[tlcya]

I am going to have to find a way to link if this info that was reoprted on NG (with Rita sitting in) is correct. It was stated in their coverage last night that the "mother"'s daughter told police that it was common for she and her siblings to be locked in the closet for bad behavior or just if "mother" didn't want the kids underfoot while she "cooked".

If this is truly what the little girl has stated to LE coupled with the fact that this woman went to visit a friend FOR TEN HOURS OR MORE while her children were locked in that closet -

Who wants to make a guess as to what sort of "cooking" this "mother" was getting up to?

IMOO crack.

 

[Kat]

http://www.indystar.com/article/20100921/LOCAL1801/9210338/Police-2-dead-children-were-extremely-thin?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CIndyStar.com

Kline, 45, whose mother lives next door, said the children were often outdoors even in the recent extreme heat, and that they'd be "beating and kicking at the door," trying to get inside.

The yard, on the apartment's west side, offers no shade from the afternoon sun. Kline's 13-year-old son, Shawn, recalled tossing the children a water bottle and them passing it around and drinking eagerly.
The Klines did not alert authorities -- "we didn't know who to call," said Janice Kline.

Just a quick comment. Shame on you, I hope you read this.

Don't know who to call?

Call 911 each and every single time you see a child endangered. Period.

This particular situation with these children has me so furious I can't even begin to address what I'm thinking about the Mom. So please excuse me for that.

Grrr.

 

[Melanie]

She was "visiting a neighbor" for TEN hours?

Is "neighbor" some sort of new slang for a drug supplier?

And who goes off to a neighbors house at 6AM and stays for 10 hours. If a neighbor did that to me, they would be kicked to the curb. Neighbor-sneighbor, it must have been a dealer or boyfriend. She's lying thru her teeth.

Those poor babies

Mel

ETA: if a neighbor came to my house at 6:00 in the morning, I wouldn't even open the door (unless she was bleeding, or her house was burning down). Don't ya bug me until at least noon!

 

[Melanie]

http://media2.wishtv.com/_local/pdf/farah-charging-docs.pdf

charging document


Her lawyers have requested a gag order. The judge has not yet ruled on that.

She doesn't deserve a gag order. She's nothing more than a child killer, abusive mother, and Lord knows what else. Who does she think she is - Lindsey Lohan? Even she has press on her 24/7. I say the more you ask for privacy, the more invasive the public should get. Wht is she hiding?

MOO

Mel

 

[Filly]

I jumped to conclusions on the drugs...it may ultimately lead there but I had no right. I agree with Filly that the background of Somalia may impact this case-but right or wrong is pretty clear here. Unless she thought she was hiding them from rebels...which I doubt. She went next door and hung out for a really long time. I am certain the friend was plugged in to her mood-I am even more certain there was a reason the friend followed up on what happened after Farah left...

Believe, I wouldn't say you were wrong or jumping to conclusions. How many times have we read here about something similar and it was drugs? I just put in my two cents about the civil war as I can see that playing a part in somebody losing their dang mind.

However, now we hear the kids are malnourished. Mom didn't eat either. Ummmmmmmm, and what she was on a diet? Did dad eat? Where did the food money go or the food stamps if they had any?

Mom put the kids in the closet while she cooked. I think tlcox is on to something there.

Dad split for back home. This is nothing new according to the surviving children so I would think the father knew these kids were locked out, locked in, barricaded, needed to be tossed a bottle of water out to the yard by a neighbor.

Privacy? If this woman was gone those entire 10 hours and was only next door at the neighbors I mean wouldn't the neighbor say "Where in God's green earth are your kids, lady?" That's a long, long time to leave your kids no matter what.

This is just my own thoughts, but the Somalian community are mad. They want privacy. I'd have to ask them then if it's common for all of them to lock their kids in closets or lock them outside in the heat for hours on end.It's understandable they would want to support eachother so far from home and all, but come on. Privacy, and ignorance just may have gotten those children where they ended up.

Still thinking the mom was mad the dad went back home to visit. Still wondering what you do for ten hours at the neighbors? Have coffee? Did she have a coffee cake too while she was there?

 

[tlcya]

again on the NG show (Rita Crosby was covering again) it was stated that prior to the dad returning to Somalia neighbors claim he was the one that purchased groceries, and cared for the kids. And that the neighbors have been concerned since he left as that is when they noticed the kids seemed malnourish and woefully undersupervised.

Again, I heard this info on NG show and I don't find that show the most credible source so take from it what you will.

 

[Paintr]

I wonder if the judge issued the gag order requested by the defense. Haven't seen any news updates on this today.

 

[wasnt_me]

I just don't know what to say about this. I guess the door were those folding closet doors and the kids couldn't push the bed off them. You know what I mean? Some long closets have two double doors that push forward as they fold to the sides, opening the closet.

I just don't know what to say. I'm trying to imagine how rambuncious kids can be that this is the answer. What kind of punishment is it, if you do it all the time. I'm sure they weren't in need of "punishment" at 6am. Oh, goodness, I'm getting upset about this.

 

[Paintr]

I just don't know what to say about this. I guess the door were those folding closet doors and the kids couldn't push the bed off them. You know what I mean? Some long closets have two double doors that push forward as they fold to the sides, opening the closet.

I just don't know what to say. I'm trying to imagine how rambuncious kids can be that this is the answer. What kind of punishment is it, if you do it all the time. I'm sure they weren't in need of "punishment" at 6am. Oh, goodness, I'm getting upset about this.

O/T wasnt me, I love the pups in your avatar.

 

[tiredofthis]

By RICK CALLAHAN

INDIANAPOLIS - Police say the mother of two children found dead in an Indianapolis apartment told them she found them dead more than 10 hours after she locked them and three siblings inside a closet so she could visit a neighbor.

snip

The report says Farah placed a bed in front of the closet door so her children couldn't get out and found two of them dead about 10 1/2 hours later.

She was charged Monday with two preliminary counts of neglect of a dependent in the deaths of her 5-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son.

http://headlines.verizon.com/headli..._us_article&_article=3089437&_ref=articlePage

This happened close to where I live. How tragic!

 

[tiredofthis]

http://www.indystar.com/article/20100921/LOCAL1801/9210338/Police-2-dead-children-were-extremely-thin?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CIndyStar.com

Kline, 45, whose mother lives next door, said the children were often outdoors even in the recent extreme heat, and that they'd be "beating and kicking at the door," trying to get inside.

The yard, on the apartment's west side, offers no shade from the afternoon sun. Kline's 13-year-old son, Shawn, recalled tossing the children a water bottle and them passing it around and drinking eagerly.
The Klines did not alert authorities -- "we didn't know who to call," said Janice Kline.

He didn't know who to call? Call 911!! Unbelievable.

 

[KR2tonenow]

Awful. Just nightmarishly awful.

I'm with you-just sick!