SHANIYA DAVIS - 5 yo (2009)- Fayetteville NC

Police in North Carolina say a man already accused of kidnapping a 5-year-old girl also raped and asphyxiated her.Authorities
said Thursday night that first-degree murder and child rape charges are
being filed against Mario McNeill, the man accused of taking Shaniya
Davis from her Fayetteville home. Her body was found Monday after a
search that lasted nearly a week.A search warrant says McNeill picked the girl up in front of the home and drove her to a hotel where she was last seen alive.The girl's mother, Antoinette Davis, is charged with trafficking her daughter and child abuse involving prostitution.

Oprah Winfrey has been in the news, with the expected
announcement that she in ending her syndicated talk show on September
9, 2011. Oprah went live from Chicago on November 20,
2009 and opened the show by announcing that she would make an
announcement at the end of the show. Oprah then showed a
segment about the tragic murder of 5 year old Shaniya Davis, who was
found dead in North Carolina.

The nation was shocked at the
news that Shaniya was allegedly sold into prostitution by her mother,
Antoinette Nichole Davis, to pay of a drug debt. Mario McNeill has been
charged with first degree murder in the case. Shaniya's mother,
Antoinette Nicole Davis has also been charged.

Oprah interviewed Shaniya's father, Bradley Lockhart and his sister Carey
Lockhart – Davis (Shaniya's aunt). Carey Lockhart – Davis was a mother
figure to young Shaniya. Oprah asked Bradley Lockhart whether he knew
that Antoinette had a drug problem, and he replied that he never saw
indications of drug use.

- Mourners came out Saturday in North Carolina to pay their last respects to Shaniya Davis during a visitation in Fayetteville.

The 5 year-old's body was found Monday off a road in Sanford nearly a week after her mother reported her missing.

Officials
later arrested her mother, Antoinette Davis, and charged her with human
trafficking and felony child abuse for suspicion of prostitution.

Authorities have also arrested Mario McNeill and he is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree rape.

Davis' funeral will take place this afternoon in Fayetteville.

Shaniya Davis, the 5 year old little girl that was raped and murdered,is being laid to rest Sunday.
Shaniya Davis's funeral is being held at Manna Church which is
located at 5117 Cliffdale Road in Fayetteville. The little girl will be
placed in her final place as family members and hundreds of grieving
people say their goodbyes. Davis disappeared from her home
last Tuesday and her body was found in a wooded area just south of
Sanford. Police announced Thursday that Cumberland County will have
jurisdiction in the case. Police say Davis was raped and
strangled. Mario McNeill, 29, is charged with the crime. He allegedly
admitted kidnapping the girl. The case has been tough for veteran investigators. "And
it's still pretty emotional -- still up and down," Captain Mark
Bidgeman said. "You know it's one of those things, it's the hardest
thing I've ever had to do in my career." According to court
documents McNeill kidnapped, raped and killed the five-year old the
same day she was reported missing from her mother's mobile home in
Fayetteville. Shaniya's mother, Antoinette Davis, is charged with trafficking and child abuse involving prostitution. McNeill
previously was charged with kidnapping. The newest charges against him
include first-degree rape of a child and first-degree murder. Police
say the 5-year-old was strangled. McNeill made a court
appearance for the new charges on Friday, where he learned he could
face the death penalty if he's convicted.

Ann Summers, grandmother of murdered 5-year-old Shaniya Davis, is
strongly defending her daughter, who is accused of selling Shaniya as a
sex slave to the man that, police, say, eventually killed her.


"She did not harm her kids. I was there, I should know," Summers said of her daughter Antoinette Davis.


Summers had more choice words for Mario Andrette McNeill, the man
accused of raping and killing Shaniya on the same day her mother
reported her missing.


"To me, he ain't nothing but a maggot. He's going to get what comes to him," Summers said outside court.

McNeill was seen on a horrifying hotel video surveillance tape
carrying Shaniya Davis on Nov. 10. A hotel clerk in Sanford, about 30
miles from Shaniya Davis' Fayetteville, N.C., home and 40 miles from
Raleigh, alerted police. But McNeill and the girl were gone by the time
they arrived.



McNeill turned himself in days later and admitted kidnapping the
girl, say police, but refused to help them find her. Her body was found
amongst a pile of trash bags and deer carcasses on the side of a rural
road Nov. 16.


Police have accused Antoinette Davis of selling her daughter to
McNeill as a sex slave. She has been charged with human trafficking,
felony child abuse-prostitution, filing a false police report and
obstructing a police investigation. McNeill has been charged with first
degree murder, first degree rape of a child and kidnapping.

Tomeka Gray, 20, who is dating McNeill's brother, said the
accusations don't jibe with what she knows about him. She said McNeill
was a good uncle and father who came to see her daughter in the
hospital with an armload of baby items right after she was born earlier
this year.


"I've never known him to do anything like that," Gray told The
Associated Press. She said when she saw the story on the news her first
thought was that she hoped authorities would catch the horrible person
who did it.


"And then to find out it was him ... I was crying. I was shocked," she said.


McNeill's lawyer has said he will plead not guilty, but at a Friday hearing he did not enter a plea.

The father of a North Carolina girl who was kidnapped and killed
said Tuesday he made the best decision he could at the time when he let
her live with her mother, who has since been charged with prostituting
the child.Bradley Lockhart said during an interview on NBC's
"Today" show that he regrets how the decision turned out, but thought
he was making the right choice at the time."We obviously make
decisions in life that sometimes have repercussions or adverse
situations that drift from our decision. We just have to continue to
believe in God and hope that our decisions are the correct ones," he
said.Lockhart said he last saw Shaniya in early October as he
left for an out-of-state work assignment. The girl moved in with
Antoinette Davis, 25, about a week later after initially staying with
Lockhart's sister, he said.He said he spoke to Davis after she
reported the girl missing Nov. 10. Police said she was killed the same
day. Lockhart said he hasn't spoken to Davis since she was charged last
week with human trafficking and child abuse by prostitution of her
daughter.Mario McNeill is charged with murder, rape and kidnapping.Lockhart
said he didn't think he missed any warning signs that Shaniya would be
at risk if he accepted Davis's request to help raise the girl."I
don't think I really missed any. Of course there's always speculation.
There's always things you could look at and say, well maybe, maybe
not," Lockhart said.The North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force
will review contacts the Cumberland County Department of Social
Services had with Davis, who also has a 7-year-old son, The
Fayetteville Observer reported Tuesday."This is a family that
was already known to social service workers down there," task force
co-chairman Tom Vitaglione said. "They are all very distraught about
the whole thing."The task force, a division of the state
Department of Health and Human Services, will look at when local social
services workers first contacted the family, what the status of the
case was, and if proper procedures were followed, Vitaglione said.
Investigators also will consider the impact of state and local budget
cuts on social service agencies, he said."Child protective service divisions have been hit particularly hard," Vitaglione said.The
Cumberland County agency's director said last week releasing any
information about contacts with the Davis family would jeopardize any
potential criminal case.

Cumberland County officials said Tuesday they've moved 25-year-old
Antoinette Davis to the North Carolina Correctional Center for Women in
Raleigh for her safety.
Meanwhile, state officials want to know what the Cumberland County
Department of Social Services knew about Davis, the mother of
5-year-old Shaniya Davis. The child was the subject of a statewide
Amber Alert until her body was discovered last week off a rural road in
Sanford. Family members told ABC11 Eyewitness News that DSS has
investigated Shaniya's mother, Antoinette Davis, in the past, but Davis
was allowed to keep Shaniya and her 7-year-old son. The
North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force will review contacts the
Cumberland County Department of Social Services had with Davis. "This
is a family that was already known to social service workers down
there," task force co-chairman Tom Vitaglione said. "They are all very
distraught about the whole thing." The task force, a division
of the state Department of Health and Human Services, will look at when
local social services workers first contacted the family, what the
status of the case was, and if proper procedures were followed,
Vitaglione said. Investigators also will consider the impact of state
and local budget cuts on social service agencies, he said. "Child protective service divisions have been hit particularly hard," Vitaglione said. The
director of the Cumberland County DSS says its records are confidential
and releasing any information about contacts with the Davis family
would jeopardize any potential criminal case. Shaniya's father,
Bradley Lockhart, admitted in a interview with ABC11 last week that he
was unaware of any issues that would have caused him to question
sending Shaniya to live with her mother. Lockhart
appeared on NBC's "Today" show Tuesday and said he regrets how the
situation turned out and giving Shaniya to her mother. He also said he
thought he was making the right decision at the time. "We
obviously make decisions in life that sometimes have repercussions or
adverse situations that drift from our decision. We just have to
continue to believe in God and hope that our decisions are the correct
ones," he said. Lockhart said he last saw Shaniya in early
October as he left for an out-of-state work assignment. Lockhart said
Shaniya moved in with her mother about a week later after initially
staying with Lockhart's sister. He said he spoke to Davis
after she reported Shaniya missing Nov. 10. Police said the girl was
killed the same day. Lockhart said he hasn't spoken to Davis since she
was charged last week. Lockhart said he didn't think he
missed any warning signs that Shaniya would be at risk if he accepted
Davis's request to help raise the girl. "I don't think I
really missed any. Of course there's always speculation. There's always
things you could look at and say, well maybe, maybe not," Lockhart said. Mario
McNeill is charged with child rape and first-degree murder in the death
of Shaniya. Davis is charged with human trafficking and child abuse by
prostitution.

Fayetteville police continue to
follow up on leads in the death of 5-year-old Shaniya Nicole Davis,
Chief Tom Bergamine said Wednesday.The child was reported
missing from her home on Nov. 10. Her body was found in a patch of
kudzu off a rural road near the Lee-Harnett County line six days later.She died of asphyxiation, according to preliminary autopsy results.Mario
Andrette McNeill, 29, of 2613 Pine Springs Drive, has been charged with
first-degree murder, first-degree rape of a child and first-degree
kidnapping in the case. Police have characterized him as a family
acquaintance.Shaniya's mother, Antoinette Nicole Davis, 25, has
been charged with human trafficking, felony child abuse–prostitution,
filing a false police report and obstructing a police investigation.
Arrest warrants state that Davis "did knowingly provide Shaniya with
the intent that she be held in sexual servitude" and "did permit an act
of prostitution with Shaniya."Bergamine wouldn’t comment on whether more charges will be filed.“We just have to see where the investigation takes us,” Bergamine said.

NBA star Shaquille O'Neal paid for 5-year-old Shaniya Davis' funeral. O'Neal
plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers. A spokesperson for the team told the
Fayetteville Observer Shaq paid for Sunday's service, which was held in
Fayetteville and attended by thousands. The funeral reportedly averaged about $4,500. The
service was held at the Manna Church. At one point, more than a hundred
looked through the windows of the church door because they couldn't get
in. Bradley Lockhart, Shaniya's father, was not scheduled to
speak but got up and encouraged the community to not get angry about
the situation. Shaniya disappeared from her home on November 10, and her body was found days later in a wooded area just south of Sanford. According to court documents, 29-year-old Mario McNeill killed the 5-year-old the same day she was reported missing. Shaniya's mother, 25-year-old Antoinette Davis, is charged with human trafficking and child abuse involving prostitution. Earlier
this week, Cumberland County officials moved Davis to the North
Carolina Correctional Center for Women in Raleigh for her safety. She
is pregnant and is being kept in protective custody. The state also launched a separate investigation into Shaniya's home life before she was murdered. The
North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force will review contacts the
Cumberland County Department of Social Services had with Antoinette
Safety.

Child's death leaves questions unanswered
Bill Kirby

The dots don't all connect.
Not for me.
Not for many of us who have followed the horrific death of Shaniya
Davis, the 5-year-old Fayetteville girl who was found dead Nov. 16 in a
wooded area off N.C. 87 near Sanford.
"I'm still filtering through it," Bradley Lockhart, 39, told Nancy
Grace on Monday night as he appeared in person on CNN's HLN network
telecast from Atlanta.
Mario Andrette McNeill, 29, is charged by city police with kidnapping, raping and killing the child.
Antoinette Davis, 25, the little girl's mother, is charged with
felony child abuse and human trafficking, i.e., selling her daughter
for prostitution.
Lockhart told Grace that he has his moments of emotion in trying to understand why this tragedy happened.
"I think about her all the time," he said, recalling how the
energetic child liked to climb onto his lap as he sat in his recliner,
color, play with dolls, play dress-up and learn to ride her scooter.
This is an egregious crime.
It has affected those from the mobile home park where this child was
allegedly abducted to as far away as the woman who called me from
Japan, saying these acts of inhumanity and injustice must cease.
It tugs at your heart.
It gnaws at your gut.
It interrupts your sleep.
It weighs on your mind.
It eats you up, because this crime should not have happened.
"Children need a voice," Lockhart told Nancy Grace, explaining his
involvement in Stop Child Trafficking Now, an organization focused on
targeting child predators for sexual abuse. "I'm trying to be that
voice."
But where was his voice of reason - or better said, his voice of
responsibility - when Bradley Lockhart said yes to allowing this child
to live with this mother who previously had been investigated by
Cumberland County Social Services?
He, by his account, wanted to give Antoinette Davis a chance to share in parenting their child.
She was gainfully employed. She was, by his account, demonstrating stability.
But being cared for by an aunt in a well-regarded neighborhood or a
father living in a $248,000 home is not the same as living in a
12-by-40 trailer with dirty dishes and unkempt bedrooms.
"A pigsty," says Barbara Davenport, manager of the Sleepy Hollow
Mobile Home Park, where Antoinette Davis' sister lived and where
Shaniya's mother said she discovered her child missing near dawn on
Nov. 10.
Lockhart now questions his judgment and, in part, blames himself in this child's tragedy.
He points a finger at Cumberland County Social Services, wishing the
agency had informed him about its previous probe into the mother's home
life. And, if true, well he should.
"It seems so unreal," the father, accompanied by Michael Freed, a Florida lawyer, told Nancy Grace.
For now, everybody is lawyered up as criminal and social welfare
investigators, along with those of us watching from afar, try to
connect the dots in the name of an innocent little girl who could not
fend for herself and whose tomorrows are no more.

A judge has appointed a new attorney for the North Carolina man charged with slaying a 5-year-old girl.
Multiple media outlets report that a capital public defender was
appointed Wednesday for 29-year-old Mario McNeill after his attorney
withdrew from the case.
McNeill is charged with murder, rape and kidnapping in the death of Shaniya Davis.
The Fayetteville girl was reported missing by her mother on Nov. 10.
Authorities say McNeill picked the girl up in front of her home and
drove her more than 30 miles to a hotel in Sanford, where she was last
seen alive. Surveillance video captured McNeill carrying the girl in
the building.
Shaniya's mother, 25-year-old Antoinette Davis, is charged with human trafficking and child abuse involving prostitution.

Autopsy results in the Shaniya Davis case indicate that she was sexually assaulted before dying.

The
five-year-old Fayetteville girl went missing from her home on November
10, and her body was discovered six days later in woods in Lee County.

According
to the autopsy report, Shaniya Davis’s body showed a bruise on her face
as well as bruises around sexual organs. The report says that the
Fayetteville Police Department received Shaniya’s clothes and a hair
from her left elbow as evidence.

Her mother, 25-year-old
Antoinette Davis, is facing charges of human trafficking and child
abuse involving prostitution in connection with Shaniya’s death.
29-year-old Mario Andrette McNeill faces charges of first-degree murder
and first-degree rape of a child in Davis’s death.

Antoinette Davis - mother of slain 5-year-old Shaniya Davis - has bonded out of jail.
Shaniya disappeared from her Fayetteville home on November 10, and
her body was found days later in a wooded area just south of Sanford. According to court documents, 29-year-old Mario McNeill killed the girl the same day she was reported missing. He is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree rape, and kidnapping. Shaniya's mother, 25-year-old Antoinette Davis, is charged with human trafficking and child abuse involving prostitution. Davis
had been held at Central State Prison in Raleigh, but a Department of
Correction spokesperson said she was released on a $51,000 bond and was
transferred back to Cumberland County by deputies. Sources say the money for bail was put up by a private bondsman.

Where's the justice? She should stay locked up until she is sentenced to life behind bars. Maybe she'll cop a bit of street justice while she's out.

kiwimom wrote:Where's the justice? She should stay locked up until she is sentenced to life behind bars. Maybe she'll cop a bit of street justice while she's out.

---I am as shocked as you Kiwi!

Sources say the money for bail was put up by a private bondsman.

I wonder if LP is butting into this case too??? Or, maybe it's an LP wannabe?

The mother of Shaniya Davis is out of jail after someone helped her make bond.
Shaniya Davis disappeared from her Fayetteville home on November 10,
and her body was found days later in a wooded area just south of
Sanford.According to court documents, 29-year-old Mario McNeill killed the
5-year-old girl the same day she was reported missing. He is charged
with first-degree murder, first-degree rape and kidnapping.

Shaniya's mother, 25-year-old Antoinette Davis, is charged with human trafficking
and child abuse involving prostitution. Investigators suspect McNeill was given the
child to pay for a drug debt.Davis had been held at Central State Prison in Raleigh, but a
Department of Correction spokesperson said she was released on a
$51,000 bond and was transferred back to Cumberland County by deputies
Sunday. Sources say the money for bail was put up by a private bondsman.
Shaniya's father, Bradley Lockhart, says he is angry about her release.
"I'm pretty much speechless," he said. "I'm angry at the way this whole
thing has preceded. I am angry that she is out, angry I have to keep
reliving this." Lockhart says he thinks Antoinette Davis should
have remained behind bars, where she's been since her arrest last
November. He says Davis shares the blame for Shaniya's death.

"At the beginning of all this I said justice and God would be the
judge, and I see the justice system has kind of let us down," Lockhart
said. He also vehemently denies rumors he helped pay for Davis' bail.
"That rumor is absolutely not true," he said. "I'm still paying for
Shaniya's headstone, just like there was rumors that there was
thousands of dollars put out there for Shaniya's case, most of that was
footed by me." Davis' lawyer and the private bondsman who put up her
bond aren't saying where the money came from. Antoinette Davis' relatives
say she is in seclusion, and on the advice of her attorney is not
talking. Davis' next court appearance is in early April.

Tom, if they say it's possible she gave away her daughter to pay a drug debt, I wonder if a drug dealer has paid the bond in exchange for her not talking.

kiwimom wrote:Tom, if they say it's possible she gave away her daughter to pay a drug debt, I wonder if a drug dealer has paid the bond in exchange for her not talking.

---Let's add to that scenario... Once she's out, he ices her. Alot easier outside than in the joint.

Nancy Grace Case Files

Shaniya Davis:
• Mario McNeill Arrest Warrants
• Search Warrant
• Mario McNeill Court Documents
• Investigation Report
• Autopsy Report

FAYETTEVILLE – Antoinette Davis, a
Fayetteville mother accused of prostituting her 5-year-old daughter, is
scheduled to appear in court Thursday.Davis is charged with human
trafficking, felony child abuse, prostitution and filing a false police
report.In November, Davis reported her daughter, Shaniya Davis,
missing. The girl's body was found a few days later in a ditch in Lee
County.Mario Andrette McNeill is charged with kidnapping, raping
and murdering Shaniya Davis.

The scheduled court appearance of a Fayetteville mother accused of
prostituting her 5-year old daughter, who ended up dead, has been
continued until Aug. 11.Antoinette Davis is charged with human
trafficking, felony child abuse-prostiution and filing a false police
report.Davis reported her daughter, Shaniya, missing in November.
The girl's body was found a few days later in a ditch in Lee County.Mario
Andrette McNeill is charged with kidnapping, raping and killing the
girl.

The father of a 5-year-old
Fayetteville girl who was killed last fall said Friday that his
daughter's memory has inspired him to campaign against violence against children.



Shaniya Nicole Davis was reported missing from her home
on Nov. 10. Her body was found in a patch of kudzu off a rural road near
the Lee-Harnett County line six days later."She talked to me.
She just told me not to let her go in vain," said her father, Bradley
Lockhart.Lockhart, who has since moved to Alabama, was in Fayetteville for
Shaniya Speaks Day, which is designed to bring awareness to sex crimes
and violence against children. The event is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Saturday at the John D. Fuller Recreational Complex on Old Bunce Road."(We
want to) try to unite the community into making a difference to where
this horrific crime doesn't happen to another child," Lockhart said.The
event comes two days before what would have been Shaniya's sixth
birthday."There won't be that birthday party or that next
birthday picture. It's tough," said Lockhart, who wears a yellow band on
his wrist that bears his daughter's name. "Just like Amber Alert, when
they hear Shaniya's name, it's a household name."Lockhart, who
was never married to Shaniya's mother, said he regrets that he couldn't
take Shaniya to live with him in Alabama."I (could) actually go
to work and go home every night and be with Shaniya and my other kids
and really create a good family that I've been missing for so many years
because traveling has taken me away," he said. "Every day is filled
with some sort of thought or feeling of Shaniya."Shaniya was
living with her mother, Antoinette Nicole Davis, at the
time of her disappearance. Davis, 25, is charged with human trafficking,
felony child abuse–prostitution, filing a false police report and
obstructing a police investigation. Arrest warrants state that Davis
"did knowingly provide Shaniya with the intent that she be held in
sexual servitude" and "did permit an act of prostitution with Shaniya."Lockhart
said he has forgiven Davis for what happened to their daughter."With
God working through me and my faith staying strong – my faith has been
questioned – but I continue to stand firm behind God's word and God's
message," he said.Mario Andrette McNeill, 29, of 2613 Pine
Springs Drive, is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree rape of
a child and first-degree kidnapping in the case. Police have
characterized him as a family acquaintance.An autopsy determined
that Shaniya died of asphyxiation and that injuries she suffered were
consistent with a sexual assault. A medical examiner noted in the
autopsy that investigators believe the girl was used to pay off a drug debt.

Mario McNeill, the man accused of kidnapping, raping and murdering
5-year-old Shaniya Davis, is expected to appear in court Thursday.Davis
was reported missing from a Fayetteville mobile home park last
November. Her body was found five days later in a ditch in Lee County.
Her mother, Antoinette Davis, is charged with human trafficking, felony
child abuse, prostitution and filing a false police report.Detectives
say McNeill was seen on surveillance tape carrying Shaniya Davis in a
Sanford hotel on the day she was reported missing. According to unsealed
search warrants, police found explicit pictures of a child on a phone
belonging to McNeill.

There are new details Thursday in the investigation of the Cumberland County Department of Social Services regarding the Shaniya Davis case. District Attorney Ed Grannis has asked Sheriff Moose Butler to continue the State Bureau of Investigation's probe.Although the SBI's investigation is complete, Grannis told Butler this week that the SBI has been unable to resolve some questions he posed about the DSS, despite repeated attempts.Five-year-old Shaniya Davis was reported missing from a Fayetteville mobile home park. Her body was found in a ditch in Lee County after an extensive search by law enforcement officials.Earlier this week, the SBI had turned in it's report, but DSS was never told the results by Grannis. Calls to Grannis' office went unreturned. Social Services Board Vice Chair Mary Deyampert-McCall said that the department looks forward to clearing up or addressing any allegations of inappropriate, and possibly criminal, behavior.Mario McNeill is charged with kidnapping, rape and murder. He was seen carrying Shaniya into a hotel. Her mother, Antoinnette Davis, is charged with human trafficking and felony child abuse among other things.

Cumberland Co. District Attorney Ed Grannis blasted the North Carolina Department of Social Services Thursday - saying the agency withheld vital information in the Shaniya Davis case.
Davis, 5, was taken from her Fayetteville home in November 2009. Mario Andrette McNeill has been charged with kidnapping, rape and murder. He was seen on a hotel surveillance video with Davis. The girl's mother, Antoinette Davis, is charged with child abuse involving prostitution. At a news conference Thursday afternoon, Grannis said problems started the day Davis was reported missing when DSS left detectives waiting hours for assistance. "It was critically important that DSS cooperate in every way to save the life of this child, it does not appear that occurred," said Grannis. Eventually, he said it took two court orders to force DSS to handover missing documents that were not included in an initial report to the DA's office. Grannis also expressed his disappointment with the State Bureau of Investigation who he said referred to DSS's lack of cooperation as a misunderstanding - even after interviews with DSS staffers revealed high ranking supervisors told agents on the case to print emails and then delete them to prevent the media from accessing details in their investigation of the Davis Family. "DSS staff was told to delete emails pertaining to this case, and to not email anymore information," said Grannis. A DSS supervisor also alleged a Fayetteville police officer tried to break into DSS offices to obtain information, but later recanted, saying it was a local reporter. DSS has never sought charges against that reporter. Asked whether this was a case of criminal negligence. Grannis said because the emails were printed out, there's no proof they were destroyed.
He said he will not seek criminal indictments, and believes because Davis's kidnapping, rape, and murder became a high profile case, DSS reacted in such a way to protect its image. However, he says DSS dropped the ball and failed to protect the 5-year-old. Asked if the DA's Office had taken its grievances to the Governor. Grannis said no, insisting that a better spirit of cooperation between police, prosecutors and DSS will result from this incident. Grannis has enlisted the help of the Cumberland Co Sheriff's Office to review the DSS handling of the case in order to have "a set of fresh eyes" on the matter.