TONI MAURIE GWYNN - 17 months - / Accused: Heather and Antonio Gwynn, parents - Burlington, IA

Dead child's family and neighbors speak out about abuse


By Joe Killian joe.killian@news-record.com  

BURLINGTON — A small crowd of neighbors gathered Sunday night in the apartment complex where 17-month-old Toni Maurie Gwynn lived until shortly before her death last month.

Fighting back tears, members of Toni’s family prayed with neighbors on the lawn of the apartments off N. Beaumont Court.
“She just shut us out of her life,” said Chris Paul of his daughter Heather Gynn, Toni’s mother. “I think she knew if we saw how bad things were in that house, we wouldn’t have put up with it.”

Heather and Antonio Gwynn, Toni’s parents, are now in jail. Heather is charged with felony child abuse and her bond is set at $1 million. Antonio is charged with felony child abuse and second degree murder. His bond is $3 million.

Police say Antonio strapped the toddler into a car seat for 15 hours without food or water and shoved a blanket into her mouth to stop her from crying, ultimately suffocating her.

Neighbors say details of the death were shocking yet somehow not surprising. Many said they suspected the three children in the apartment – Toni, 5-year-old sister Chania and 5-month old sister Ava – were often left alone in the house and rarely came outside to play with other children.

“I knew something was going to happen to one of those kids,” said Tina Rogers, a neighbor. “And it didn’t have to happen. If they needed help they could have given that baby to me, to any one of the neighbors, and we would have helped.”

According to Heather’s family, offers of help were plentiful.

Chris Paul and his wife Sue moved to Burlington from Maine to try to help Heather and her sister Ashley with the children they began having in their teens.

Ashley eventually let them help, Sue said - her sons, both toddlers, now live with their grandparents. But Heather distanced herself from the family, she said, and things went from bad to worse.

“We came over here at Christmas with presents for the kids, just to make sure they had a Christmas,” Sue Paul said. “They wouldn’t even let us in.”

Neighbors describe Antonio as often angry and controlling. Heather wouldn’t speak in public without his permission, they said, and several said they heard her screams in the night during fights.

“He treated her like a child and you know he was beating her up,” Rogers said.

Another neighbor, Lolita Grant, said it was obvious neither Heather or Antonio – both just 22 – had yet fully accepted their roles as parents.

“When you have kids, they come first,” Grant said. “You can’t just go on living your life the way you were. You have to live for those kids.”

Sue and Chris Paul said they only met their granddaughter Toni once - at a meeting arranged in a public park. Per Antonio’s instructions, they weren’t allowed to take pictures with her. Heather and Antonio so disconnected from the family that when Toni was killed, they had to hear about it on TV.

The family say they’re now coming together to take care of Toni’s two sisters, now in foster homes. They say they hope that in the next few weeks they’ll be able to go live with their aunt in Snowcamp.

After lighting candles at the Sunday vigil and singing “Amazing Grace,” the family asked neighbors to treasure their children, to care for them - and for their neighbors.

“If you see something wrong, make some noise,” Sue Paul said. “We tried to help. It was hard. But maybe we should all have made more noise.”

http://www.news-record.com/news/local_news/article_cc06f630-f7f2-11e2-9b27-001a4bcf6878.html

Sad that even parents would do this.  Just breaks my heart.  Other related stories below.  I could not find a picture of the little angel.  If someone could I would like to see it posted.  William


http://www.news-record.com/news/local_news/article_53f17388-ef22-11e2-a35e-001a4bcf6878.html
http://www.news-record.com/news/rockingham_county/article_b2a08802-f0ca-11e2-b770-001a4bcf6878.html
http://www.news-record.com/news/local_news/article_bdc16bde-ee4f-11e2-a413-0019bb30f31a.html
http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/top-news/local-social-services-records-won-t-be-released-in-child-death-1.175168?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Innocence: Toni Maurie Gwynn died after she was strapped in a car seat and left without food or water for 15 hours. Her father allegedly shoved a blanket in her mouth after 12 hours, suffocating her

Victim: Relatives said they tried to care for Toni but that her parents did not let them close

Accused: Antonio Gwynn, left, and Heather Gwynn, right, have been charged with felony child abuse

I was busy at work and did not see this article.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2380822/Grandparents-reveal-tried-girl-1-daughter-husband-killed-strapping-car-seat-15-hours-blanket-stuffed-mouth.html

It has the pictures. She sure was a cute little angel.
William

Hi William, found these for you.  A precious little girl.

This is heartbreaking.