PA - Neighbor heard cries of baby who starved after mom died

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Neighbor heard cries of baby who starved after mom died
MILLVALE, Pa. (AP) — A neighbor said he heard the cries of a 9-month-old boy who authorities believe later starved after his mother died of a possible overdose inside their Pittsburgh-area apartment.

William Gonzalez said he heard the cries of little Casey Kessler when he went in and out of the apartment building in Millvale but didn't think much of it at the time, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Saturday.

"If I was closer to the noise, I would have done something. I didn't know. I feel so guilty. I feel so bad," Gonzalez said. "The thought of that little kid running around after she died ... looking for food. That's what I'm upset about. It's such a helpless feeling."

The dead woman's brother found the bodies early Friday. He had gone to the apartment to check on his sister, 22-year-old Sara Kessler, after not hearing from her for several days.
http://news.yahoo.com/neighbor-heard-cries-baby-starved-mom-died-172321195.html
 
I can't blame the man for not calling anyone...I am sure he has heard babies crying before, and never heard later (until now) that one of them was starving to death. If he had knocked on the door, and the parent was home, he would be considered a rude, intrusive jerk.
 
Two lives gone . . .just like that. . . . for no good reason. RIP.
 
I can't blame the man for not calling anyone...I am sure he has heard babies crying before, and never heard later (until now) that one of them was starving to death. If he had knocked on the door, and the parent was home, he would be considered a rude, intrusive jerk.

Thanks for this. I read an article this morning pretty much bashing people for calling 911 on parents and on FB everyone agreed that it is intrusive. Someone went as far to say they pulled up to a car running with a child sleeping in the back seat, no parent, and this was acceptable. What?! I found a car full of children over the summer all under the age of 7 in a car, with no parents. I called 911 and waited by the car. Sorry but I am not sorry about calling. This mother LEFT her children so she didn't have to bring them in to get sandwiches!! Yet, I who don't know her children was late for my dr apt had to watch them so some creepy person didn't kidnap them. But, I am wrong. This man didn't call because people judge those who call or those who knock on doors. It is so horrible and sad. I do not blame him 0.0001%. I blame the parents who make bad choices and get mad at others for it.
 
I can't blame the man for not calling anyone...I am sure he has heard babies crying before, and never heard later (until now) that one of them was starving to death. If he had knocked on the door, and the parent was home, he would be considered a rude, intrusive jerk.

I agree. Young kids cry a lot. Neighbor had no way of knowing the child was crying because mother was dead.
 
Sooooooooo sad! :crying:

My biggest problem with this is the baby shouldn't have been with her to being with. I don't understand why society, family, friends, courts and CPS allow children to live with addicts. There is no doubt in my mind that her addiction was well known. Why didn't someone try to get custody of that baby? If they did try, why didn't the courts or CPS protect the baby?

I reported a mother who is a heroin addict, and her first grader came home from school and found her passed out on the sofa. She had been passed out all day while her 2 year old was wandering around the house unsupervised. The first grader went to a neighbor's house. The neighbor and I both called CPS. They did absolutely nothing. CPS went to her house once, asked if drugs were in the house, she said no, CPS left and never returned. The eldest daughter's biological father sought and won custody, but the youngest child is still with her heroin addict mother.
 
I agree. Young kids cry a lot. Neighbor had no way of knowing the child was crying because mother was dead.

I had one perfect baby who never cried and another who had colic. There was NOTHING I could do to calm colic child down when she was in a spell (and it was daily). It was awful. So, yeah, it is a kind of "gray area" when it comes to babies. Babies cry, and some more than others.
 
This article says three housecats survived because there was an automatic feeder.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...n-overdoses-baby-left-starves-days-later.html

It also confirms her family knew she was a drug addict and tried to get her help many times. It also says the residents of the building knew she was a drug addict. That means family, society and possibly the system failed that baby by allowing it to remain in her custody.

Everyone can be upset nobody called when hearing a baby cry. Babies cry. Be upset that nobody did anything to take the baby away from her knowing she was a drug addict. IMO, drug addiction alone is evidence enough to remove a child even if it appears to be okay. No baby is okay with a drug addict even the ones who don't die aren't okay.

Drug addicts should never have custody. Period.
 
One thing has been bothering me.

Police say there appears to be no fowl play. If it was an overdose and the baby starved, I can understand LE coming to the conclusion. BUT what if SK was shooting up with a friend or friends when she overdosed?

What if they knew she died and took off without calling for an ambulance. It happens with people who use illegal drugs---someone overdoses and the others don't call LE because they're afraid of getting in trouble for using illegal drugs. If this happened, it might not be "fowl play" but it certainly breaks some law to leave a baby alone with a dead caregiver, right?
 
I think this may be the saddest story I have ever read. That poor baby. :(
 
I had one perfect baby who never cried and another who had colic. There was NOTHING I could do to calm colic child down when she was in a spell (and it was daily). It was awful. So, yeah, it is a kind of "gray area" when it comes to babies. Babies cry, and some more than others.

Exactly. (My eldest grandson suffered terribly with colic!) And just because the neighbor heard the toddler cry each time he passed by does not mean he realized the child was crying constantly. As far as I know, the neighbor wasn't camped out in the doorway.
 
If it was possible, this became even sadder, she may not have known how sick she was.

The Allegheny County medical examiner's office said an autopsy concluded that 22-year-old Sara Kessler succumbed to bronchial pneumonia caused by a bacterial infection of the heart in her Millvale apartment in March. Her death was ruled due to natural causes.

Officials said her 9-month-old son, Carey, with no one to care for him, died of dehydration. His death was ruled accidental.
 

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