Identified! NJ - Clifton, Toddler's body found in Passaic River, Jul'09 - Imani Joyner

[bogeygal]

http://www.connpost.com/ci_12768238?source=rss

Child's body stolen from Stamford cemetery ends up in New Jersey river



Parent's of child taken from cemetery are grieving. Not releasing the child's name. More at link in my post above. Very sad for these parents.

 

[paris_paris]

http://www.connpost.com/ci_12768238?source=rss

Child's body stolen from Stamford cemetery ends up in New Jersey river



Parent's of child taken from cemetery are grieving. Not releasing the child's name. More at link in my post above. Very sad for these parents.

Your link makes reference to the child's family, not the parents.

My first thought was that this child belonged to Beverly of Waldwick in one of the other threads here. Maybe she was simply destitute over the loss of her child, and dealt with it in a very strange way.

 

[bogeygal]

Your link makes reference to the child's family, not the parents.

My first thought was that this child belonged to Beverly of Waldwick in one of the other threads here. Maybe she was simply destitute over the loss of her child, and dealt with it in a very strange way.

Sorry paris_paris about not saying family instead of "parents". I was just trying to keep anyone updated as fast as possible.

Beverly of Waldwick's case was not related at all to the body of the child in the Passic River. They just were found the same day in different locations. FYI, the articles from the NJ news links reported the stories together because of both discoveries of bodies being found. The missing mom from Waldwick had three children, two in grade school and one a teenager. Hope this helps explain.

 

[paris_paris]

bogeygal, you don't think the 2 are connected at all?

 

[bogeygal]

bogeygal, you don't think the 2 are connected at all?

Not at all sweetie,

There was no foul play with the body of the child, he died in 2007 of an existing medical condition. It was just a coinkydink that both the child from Connecticut cemetery and the Waldwick mom were discovered the same day in the same river, but in different town's along the long Passaic River. No connection otherwise.. Both stories are very sad.

 

[Boyz_Mum]

bogeygal, thanks for the updates.

In the one link, it says that the earth doesn't show recent signs of being dug up (I'm paraphrasing), have they said when they think the body was stolen? This is so odd, I don't know that I've ever heard of anything like this.

I feel so badly for the family.

 

[Cymro]

This really does not make sense:

1. How does a girl who died in 2 years ago get to be a body and not a skeleton?;
2. Why would a previously buried body ever get identified? She should never be on a list of possible victims because she's too old and well, "known" to be in the ground;
3. The ground around the grave doesn't show any signs of recent disturbance.

So that leaves basically three possibilities:

1. The body was stolen by grave robbers, in remarkably good condition, and then dumped in a river and then somehow identified as a child who shouldn't even be a possible: which leaves me to ask WHY and HOW? (Can't think of good answers to any);

2. The body has been misidentified;

3. The body was never buried. Someone faked the burial (whether family or a funeral worker) and kept the body in a state of preservation until they finally got round to disposing of it.

 

[Boyz_Mum]

Cymro, number 3 on your list of possibilities crossed my mind. The whole case makes no sense, but that was the only thing I could think of that seemed possible.

I can't imagine a grave robber holding on to a body for any length of time.

I guess misidentification is a possibility.

Very odd and I hope they figure out what happened and how, to prevent this type of crime from ever happening again.

 

[bogeygal]

bogeygal, thanks for the updates.

In the one link, it says that the earth doesn't show recent signs of being dug up (I'm paraphrasing), have they said when they think the body was stolen? This is so odd, I don't know that I've ever heard of anything like this.

I feel so badly for the family.

I have questions too. According to some news reports in Stamford area, we learn that LE went to this child's grave and once opened it, found that it was empty. We don't know how either NJ or CT police found out any information that led back to this CT cemetery.

All I can guess at this point, until we learn more, is that since this story was all over the news in the tri-state area (CT, NJ, NY) maybe someone who "knew something" called in with a tip.

 

[paris_paris]

Not at all sweetie,

There was no foul play with the body of the child, he died in 2007 of an existing medical condition. It was just a coinkydink that both the child from Connecticut cemetery and the Waldwick mom were discovered the same day in the same river, but in different town's along the long Passaic River. No connection otherwise.. Both stories are very sad.

What I was getting at is... imagine a mother losing her child by natural causes... devasted and not ready to give up the child's body... brings it home for comfort. I know that sounds bizarre, but I don't know how else to put it.

Years ago I had a friend who's child was hit by a car and killed. She used to disappear in the middle of the night, and would be found at the cemetary laying across the little one's grave. She just couldn't get a handle on things.

 

[bogeygal]

What I was getting at is... imagine a mother losing her child by natural causes... devasted and not ready to give up the child's body... brings it home for comfort. I know that sounds bizarre, but I don't know how else to put it.

Years ago I had a friend who's child was hit by a car and killed. She used to disappear in the middle of the night, and would be found at the cemetary laying across the little one's grave. She just couldn't get a handle on things.

I hear ya paris_paris,

Even though the child found in the river has been identified and name withheld and no relation to the Waldwick mom, you are right in that the grief a mother or father for that matter suffers with the loss of a child is devastating.

My girlfriend's son accidentally drowned when on a vacation to her familes lake house. Mom stayed home that weekend with a very bad cold. I've watched her go through every emotion since that day and now. I still see the pain in her face, even the times that she tries to live her life as normal.

 

[bogeygal]

http://wcbstv.com/local/passaic.river.baby.2.1075810.html

More news on the Connecticut child found in New Jersey's Passaic River:

snipped from article: Cops: Dumping May Be Part Of Some Bizarre Grave-Digging Ritual

Conklin added that police have yet to identify any suspects in the dumping. They are also looking into the possibility that the child may have been stolen as part of some ritual.

 

[MaedchenX]

I'm guessing there was some identifying attribute associated with the remains, perhaps physical manifestations of the medical condition that took this child's life. I can hardly imagine that LE would put the family through this if they were not certain about the identity.

As it is suggested the body was stolen some time ago (right after burial perhaps, when disturbed soil would potentially go unnoticed?), It would not surprise me that a small body (possibly) full of embalming fluids would be relatively intact and further preserved in the plastic bag and the cold wet environment of the river.

I don't think there is anything more sinister about the case than the dirtbags who stole this body for whatever selfish purpose.

 

[bogeygal]

I'm guessing there was some identifying attribute associated with the remains, perhaps physical manifestations of the medical condition that took this child's life. I can hardly imagine that LE would put the family through this if they were not certain about the identity.

As it is suggested the body was stolen some time ago (right after burial perhaps, when disturbed soil would potentially go unnoticed?), It would not surprise me that a small body (possibly) full of embalming fluids would be relatively intact and further preserved in the plastic bag and the cold wet environment of the river.

I don't think there is anything more sinister about the case than the dirtbags who stole this body for whatever selfish purpose.

I agree, and think your post was both informative and sensitive to this very tragic story.

Hoping that this child's parents and family will be able to cope with all that they have learned as to the grave-robbing. Their baby was buried in 2007. All of this new news must be devastating to them.

My prayers go out to this family. It brings the heartbreak out all over again for them.

 

[MaedchenX]

Thanks Bogeygal, and thank you for updating with the local media links. This is a horribly tragic case, and I can't imagine what these poor parents are going through. May justice be swift and find whomever did this.

 

[bogeygal]

http://www.northjersey.com/news/cri..._in_river_stolen_ffrom_Connecticut_grave.html


snipped from article:

The toddler was identified by New Jersey authorities through an armband that bore a name, said Clifton police, who have assisted in the investigation.

 

[bogeygal]

http://wcbstv.com/local/miracle.child.grave.2.1077454.html

Body Of 'Miracle Child' Stolen From Grave

We now have the identity and story of this little girl, Imani Joyner and the explaination of her birth and medical problems. After reading the article my heart is very heavy for what the family is going through now. Imani really was a miracle baby and didn't deserve to be taken from her resting place. Oh, it's so sad.

Snipped: Little Imani was born in 2004, but her brain never properly developed. She was expected to die quickly, but she survived for more than 2 years.

 

[Boyz_Mum]

My prayers are with this family. I'm at a loss for words.

 

[bogeygal]

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/norwalkadvocate/ci_12783242

Photo slide-show of baby Imani Joyner in article

snipped:

Police: Evidence in Stamford grave theft points to ritual2-year-old who died in 2007 found in N.J. river


STAMFORD -- Evidence surrounding the case of Imani Joyner, a 2-year-old child whose body was stolen from a Stamford grave and found in a New Jersey river this weekend, appears to be part of some kind of ritual, police said.

A Stamford police captain said evidence found at the crime scenes in Woodland Cemetery in Stamford and in New Jersey point indicate a ritual. He would not say what the evidence was.

"When we say ritualistic, we're looking at an offshoot of Santeria and Palo Mayombe," Capt. Richard Conklin said.

Santeria is a Caribbean blend of West African beliefs and Catholicism. Palo Mayombe is a religion originally from the Congo region of Africa; it was brought to the Americas by slaves.

Conklin said the child doctors dubbed as a miracle baby may have led some to believe it had mystical powers.

Imani, who died April 22, 2007, was born in 2004 with semilobar holoprosencephaly, a condition that kept her brain from developing fully. It affects one in 5,000 to 10,000 births. While Imani was not expected to live -- the condition causes babies to die before birth or shortly after -- she survived until she was 2 1/2 years old.

Much more info at link above...

 

[WhyaDuck?]

'Miracle Baby' Stolen From Connecticut Grave
Police May Check the Graves of Other Children
By SARAH NETTER
July 8, 2009

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=8036056&page=1

Conn. police say possible ritual in theft of body
By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN – 18 hours ago

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — Authorities investigating the theft of a 2-year-old girl's body from a Connecticut cemetery said Wednesday that evidence at the crime scene points to a possible ritual.

Stamford Capt. Richard Conklin said investigators are looking at the crime "as a ritualistic sort of thing." He cited beliefs such as Santeria, a Caribbean blend of West African beliefs and Catholicism, or Palo Mayombe, a religion originally from the Congo region of Africa and brought to the Americas by slaves.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iQ0eAkG2rEkRT40NLdqUdCry5xUgD99AGTGG0

Police: Evidence in Stamford grave theft points to ritual
2-year-old who died in 2007 found in N.J. river
By Jeff Morganteen
Staff Writer

STAMFORD -- Evidence surrounding the case of Imani Joyner, a 2-year-old child whose body was stolen from a Stamford grave and found in a New Jersey river this weekend, appears to be part of some kind of ritual, police said.

A Stamford police captain said evidence found at the crime scenes in Woodland Cemetery in Stamford and in New Jersey point indicate a ritual. He would not say what the evidence was.

"When we say ritualistic, we're looking at an offshoot of Santeria and Palo Mayombe," Capt. Richard Conklin said.

Conklin said the child doctors dubbed as a miracle baby may have led some to believe it had mystical powers.

Imani, who died April 22, 2007, was born in 2004 with semilobar holoprosencephaly, a condition that kept her brain from developing fully. It affects one in 5,000 to 10,000 births. While Imani was not expected to live -- the condition causes babies to die before birth or shortly after -- she survived until she was 2 1/2 years old.

http://www.connpost.com/ci_12783242?source=most_viewed

I feel horrible for this baby's parents - must have been like losing their child twice.

However, my suspicion always tweeks when I hear cops talk about "ritual" anything, We all remember the silliness of the Satanic Panic that has sent many to jail unjustly and has caused needless fear. I have a feeling what cops in CT know about African religions can be written on a postage stamp.

So glad they found and identified the remains, though, so she could be sent home.