ZAHREE THOMAS - 2 yo/ Accused: Mother; Chevonne Thomas (deceased) - Camden NJ

Mother, Child Dead in NJ Murder-Suicide
Police say the woman decapitated her 2-year-old son then put his head in the freezer before killing herself

By Lauren DiSanto
Wednesday, Aug 22, 2012
Updated 11:34 AM EDT

Camden Police confirmed Wednesday that a mother and child are dead in a murder-suicide.

Prosecutors say the mother, Chevonne Thomas, decapitated her 2-year-old son and put his head in a freezer, before stabbing herself to death with a kitchen knife.

That little boy is identified as Zahree Thomas.

Prosecutors say the 33-year-old mother called 9-1-1 just after midnight and told them something had happened to her child.

"The information they were receiving was very muddled, but it led them to believe there was a child that was in jeopardy," said Camden County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Jason Laughlin.

Investigators arrived on the 1400 block of Kaighn Avenue in Camden around 12:30 a.m.

Police immediately found the boy's body on the first floor of the home. Prosecutors say the officers then noticed there was someone else upstairs and withdrew from the house because they didn't know if the person was armed.

Prosecutors say the officers on scene then realized the person upstairs was the boy's mother and when they went back inside they found out she had stabbed herself in the neck and died.

"Everybody here is very shaken up. One of the sergeant's from my office says it's one of the most grisly things he's seen on the job," said Laughlin.

Thomas leaves behind an 18-year-old child, according to prosecutors, and she was arrested in the past on a child endangerment charge

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Mother-Child-Dead-in-Camden-Murder-Suicide-167010275.html

Governor Christie Saddened By Camden Decapitation Case

By: David Matthau | 4 hours ago

AUDIO AT LINK

The New Jersey Department of Children and Families continues to investigate the case of a crazed South Jersey mother, who decapitated her 2 year old son, then stabbed herself to death with a knife after calling 911.

The woman was being monitored by DCF because of a series of bizarre incidents over the past couple of years.

During last night’s edition of “Ask the Governor,” Governor Christie was asked about the situation.

“I’m saddened by the incident, but I don’t know that we have any evidence that red flags were ignored in this case…What I’ve seen so far is that DCF was very involved in trying to make sure that the appropriate counseling was being given and monitoring was being done…Government can do the very best it can, but we cannot be overseeing parents with their children 24 hours a day either.”

The Governor pointed out the federal monitor overseeing progress being made at the Agency “has said things have improved significantly over the last 2 and a half years at DCF- and that in most of the categories that they’re monitoring we’ve gotten much better, and I have great confidence in Commissioner Blake and what she’s doing each and every day for us in making that department better.”

He also said, “When things like this happen, I can’t imagine- it’s just incomprehensible to me…And it shows you how desperate or disturbed or depraved this mother must have been…It’s being looked into and being reviewed, and if it turns out that there was some things that we missed that we could have prevented, then we’ll learn from that. But at least so far, the indication I’ve gotten is that – it’s not that red flags were missed. It’s just that – there’s some times, there’s certain things that you just can’t prevent.”

http://nj1015.com/governor-christie-saddened-by-camden-decapitation-case-audio/

Police Release 911 Call From Camden Mom [VIDEO]

By: Townsquare News Network | Yesterday

The 911 call from Chevonne Thomas was rambling and incoherent, but authorities say she made one thing clear: Her 2-year-old son had been stabbed, and she did it.



Police say they found the body of young Zahree Thomas early Wednesday morning on the first floor of his mother’s Camden home. They found his head in the freezer.

Authorities say the 33-year-old mother fatally stabbed herself after calling 911 to report her son’s death.

During the call, she first accused her boyfriend of stabbing Zahree, but then quickly recanted.

According to a recording of the call released Wednesday night she says, “You know what, I did it, I’m lying, I’m lying, I’m lying, I did it.”

When asked if she takes medicine, Thomas said she used to take the antidepressant Prozac.

Excerpts of 911 call by CAMDEN mom who decapitated son:

Chevonne Thomas: Hell no, hell no, hell no. Keep thinking that. Keep thinking that.Dispatcher: 911 where’s your emergency.

Thomas: Yes, somebody just stabbed my baby. Please get here.

Dispatcher: They just did what?

Thomas: Stabbed my baby

Dispatcher: Do they know who it was, ma’am?

Thomas: Yes, it’s my ex, it’s my boyfriend. My current boyfriend.

Dispatcher: What’s your address?

Thomas: 1415 Kaighn. You know what? (dispatcher comments indecipherable) I did it. I’m lying. I’m lying. I’m lying. I’m lying. I did it.

Dispatcher: Do you need an ambulance, ma’am?

Thomas: No. I mean, no. He don’t need, no.

Dispatcher: What’s your name?

Thomas: Chevonne Thomas. Chevonne Thomas.

___

Dispatcher: Chevonne, you said your baby was stabbed. Is this your son? How old is he?

Thomas: Yes, yes, yes, yes. My son is 2. He is 2.

Dispatcher: He was the one that was stabbed?

Thomas: Yes.

Dispatcher: He was stabbed with what?

Thomas: A knife.

Dispatcher: Is he bleeding? Where is he bleeding? Is he bleeding from anywhere?

Thomas: No. I mean he is, but not much.

Dispatcher: From where.

Thomas: Not much.

Dispatcher: Chevonne, where is he bleeding from?

Thomas: Not much. He’s not bleeding that much. Not bleeding that much.

Dispatcher: Where’s your boyfriend at?

Thomas: I think … I knew it. I knew it.

Dispatcher: Chevonne, Where’s he at?

Thomas: My boyfriend is, he’s gonna come in the back door. He’s gonna come in the back door.

Dispatcher: Who did it? Your boyfriend stabbed him?

Thomas: Yes.

Dispatcher: Who else is in the house?

Thomas: I knew it. Nobody. Nobody at all. Nobody. Nobody at all.

Dispatcher: And your boyfriend is outside?

Thomas: Yep. Yep.

Dispatcher: You guys were fighting?

Thomas: Yep. Yep.

Dispatcher: Aright, we’re going to send officers out there, OK?

Thomas: Yep, yep. Yep.

Dispatcher: You’re at 1415 Kaighn Avenue, right?

Thomas: Yep, yep, yep.

Dispatcher: All right, we’re going to send somebody out there.

Thomas: You better, wait, wait. You know what? I don’t even want to play this. I did it. OK? I did it. I did it. I did it.

Dispatcher: Stay on the phone, OK?

Thomas: I keep trying to make it, I’m about to, no, I have to find some money, I got to. I got to try to find some money. I got to, I got to, I got to. I don’t care.

___

Dispatcher: Chevonne, what’s the problem?

Thomas: I knew it. I knew it. I knew it.

Dispatcher: You knew what?

Thomas: I knew it. I know. I knew it, I knew it.

Dispatcher: You knew what, Chevonne? What did you know? You need the police?

Thomas: Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, uh-UH, uh-UH. Nope. Nope.

Dispatcher: Do you need the police?

Thomas: Nope. mm-MM. mm-MM. I don’t need nothing.

Dispatcher: Do you need the police?

Thomas: Nope. Um-um. I don’t need nothing. I don’t need nothing.

Dispatcher: How old are you, Chevonne?

Thomas: I don’t need nothing. I’m 33.

Dispatcher: 33?

Thomas: 33 years old.

Dispatcher: Where do you live at?

Thomas: 1058. 1058.

Dispatcher: Where?

Dispatcher: 1058 what?

Thomas: 10. 10.

Dispatcher: 1058 what? Chevonne? Who lives at 1415 Kaighn?

Thomas: Nobody. Not me. My boyfriend is right here. He’s right.

Dispatcher: Can I speak to him?

Thomas: (indecipherable)

Dispatcher: Do you take medicine?

Thomas: I used to.

Dispatcher: What kind did you take?

Thomas: Prozac.

Dispatcher: Prozac. OK, you don’t take it anymore?

Thomas: Nope. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, I do.

Dispatcher: Do you still take it?

Thomas: I still take it.

Dispatcher: Did you take it today?

Thomas: I still take it. I still take it. No. no, no. I did, no. I didn’t take it today, but I should have. I should have. I should have took it today.

Dispatcher: Ok, where are you? She didn’t take her Prozac today.

Thomas: I did. I did. I did. Keep playing.

http://nj1015.com/police-release-911-call-from-camden-mom-video/

"(CBS/AP) CAMDEN, N.J. - A New Jersey woman who apparently decapitated her 2-year-old boy before killing herself was seen sitting on her front steps a short time earlier, topless and upset.

Neighbor Melanie Troutman says she saw 33-year-old Chevonne Thomas sitting with her boyfriend in front of their Camden home about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. Troutman tells The Associated Press that the woman was "clearly upset."

She says the boyfriend led Thomas back into the home a short time later.

Police say Thomas apparently decapitated Zahree Thomas and put his head in the freezer before calling 911 just after midnight Tuesday to report something had happened to her child.

Court records show Thomas faced dozens of judgements and liens filed in civil court in New Jersey dating back to 2002.

Authorities say Thomas had regained custody of her son just five months ago. Prosecutors say she lost custody in 2010 when she allegedly left the boy unattended in a car. At the time authorities say she admitted to having smoked marijuana laced with PCP and blacking out in a park."

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57498173-504083/nj-mom-chevonne-thomas-seen-topless-upset-before-son-was-decapitated/

N.J. was ready to close case on mom who decapitated son

"Child protection workers were preparing to close their case on a Camden mother reunited with her son when, on Wednesday, the woman decapitated the boy and then committed suicide, according to a state news release issued Friday.

The New Jersey Department of Children and Families provided more information about Chevonne Thomas, 34, including details about her Nov. 28, 2010, arrest on a child endangerment charge when she first lost custody of son Zahree, who was 2 when he died. The release noted at least one drug relapse that caused the department to take the boy from Thomas a second time.

Many questions remain unanswered about the state's supervision of Thomas, who had a history of mental illness and drug abuse, in the last weeks of her life.

The department's commissioner, Allison Blake, did not return calls seeking comment.

On Friday, the department reported that Thomas tested clean for drugs June 29 and that a state worker last checked on her July 3.

"The case was reviewed again on July 23, 2012, and was being prepared for closure," according to the news release issued by Blake's director of communications, Kristine Brown.

"Our ongoing review does not reveal that any support systems involved with Ms. Thomas had any indications of relapse or noted any behaviors that could foreshadow harm to Zahree," the release said.

In November 2010, Thomas was charged with endangerment after she told police she had smoked marijuana laced with the hallucinogen PCP (phencyclidine), known to cause violence in some users, according to court records.

Police took Thomas, who could not recall where she left her child, to Cooper University Hospital for treatment, authorities said. A neighbor initially told police that she had found the boy alone in a car and that she did not know where Thomas was.

Nearly a year later, the neighbor recanted, saying Thomas had asked her to watch the boy while Thomas ran an errand, authorities said. Prosecutors then dismissed the endangerment charge.

Zahree was placed in his maternal grandmother's care, authorities said.

According to the news release issued Friday, state workers substantiated neglect, and Zahree was not returned to Thomas until July 11, 2011. Thomas had successfully completed counseling for substance abuse, mental health, and other issues.

On Aug. 2, 2011, however, Thomas tested positive for PCP in a random urine screening, and Zahree was removed again and placed with the same relative until April 3.

Nancy Parello, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit Advocates for Children of New Jersey, said that questions remained but that she believed there was a "good-faith" effort by the state to find answers.

"Obviously, this is a very complicated case," Parello said. "It is encouraging that they're releasing more information and there's a plan in place for a detailed review."

The state agency has been under the supervision of a federal judge since 2003 after high-profile lapses in oversight.

A recent report said that social-worker caseloads were rising and that only 55 percent of children placed by the state had two documented visits by caseworkers each month as mandated.

Thomas, a 1996 graduate of Northeast High School in Philadelphia, called 911 about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday and told a dispatcher that she stabbed her son. In a rambling six-minute conversation, she said she used the antidepressant Prozac but did not take it that day.

When police arrived at Thomas' Parkside apartment in the 1400 block of Kaighns Avenue, the boy's torso was found on the first floor and his head in the freezer. In a second-floor bedroom, Thomas had fatally stabbed herself in the neck, authorities said.

Although evidence of drugs was found at the scene, authorities said it would be several weeks before blood tests on Thomas were complete.

In Friday's news release, the Department of Children and Families said it would continue its review and release additional information.

"We owe Zahree and the Thomas family nothing less than a diligent, careful review of the facts, and we anticipate that process to take some time to ensure accuracy and thoroughness," the release said."

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20120824_N_J__was_ready_to_close_case_on_mom_who_decapitated_son.html