NATALIE HILL - 3 months -(2009) Westwego/New Orleans LA

Poster's Note: There have been no charges filed, but I expect there will be and the "parents" will be charged with her death due to neglect.


A three-month-old baby
whose body was covered with rodent bites bled to death before she was
found in her crib in suburban New Orleans, according to an autopsy
released on Wednesday.Westwego Police Chief Dwayne Munch said
Natalie Hill had severe wounds on her nose and leg along with more than
100 suspected rat bites when her parents found her body last Thursday
in her crib, which was stained with bloody rodent footprints.The
cause of death was preliminary and more tests were planned, said
Elizabeth Evans, an investigator for the Jefferson Parish coroner's
office.The chief said the autopsy results "tell us what we had suspected already"."We
were all hoping that we were wrong. It's just horrifying to think of
the baby being bitten and all this trauma happening while she was
alive," he said.No charges have been filed, but Munch said police are still investigating.The
child's parents told police the girl was fine when her mother fed her
several hours before her body was discovered. When police arrived at
the house, the girl's father was in the front yard shouting that his
baby was dead.Investigators are awaiting the results of drug and alcohol tests that the parents submitted to last week, the chief said."It's
just to make sure we cover all the bases," Munch said of the tests. "If
we find neglect, we'll pursue charges ... It's too early to tell right
now."Munch had said earlier that the girl's parents had set traps out for rodents.

The 3-month-old girl found dead in her Westwego home last
week died of blood loss from the numerous rat bites she
suffered, the Jefferson Parish coroner's office
announced Wednesday.
In a one-sentence press release, Coroner Robert Treuting
listed the cause of Natalie Hill's death as
"exsanguination due to destruction of soft tissue
secondary to murine activity." That means the baby died
of blood loss because of the rat bites.
The infant was found covered with "hundreds" of
rat bites and lying in a pool of blood in her crib in the
family's Central Avenue home July 16.
The coroner's office would not discuss whether the
baby bled for a long time or whether an artery was struck,
causing massive bleeding immediately. Authorities said it
appeared that rats had gnawed on Natalie's nose and
right leg.
The news came as the infant's parents, Robby Hill
and Casey Laine, waited at the Jefferson Parish Juvenile
Justice Center in Gretna to find out whether their
14-month-old son would be released from state custody.
After hours of discussion, hearing officer Salvador Mulè
decided Wednesday to delay a decision on whether the boy
should be placed with the couple or their relatives and
friends. The case will resume Tuesday, and the boy will
remain in state custody while officials visit
relatives' homes to determine whether they are
suitable.
Laine and Hill lost custody of the boy after Natalie
died. The couple has said they were aware of rat problems
around the home and heard rats scratching in the walls of
the house. However, Laine has said they never saw the rats
inside the building, and several family friends agreed.
A family friend said the judge intimated that he would
consider the coroner's report when he decided whether
to return the boy to his parents.
The news about Natalie's death devastated family
members, who once again praised Hill and Laine as "good
parents" and cast blame on the couple's landlord,
Charles Dufrene.
"They were good parents," said Lisa Lee
Normand, Casey Laine's mother. "This is all the
landlord's fault. . . .
"He let them children move in that house knowing the
kind of danger they were in."
Normand repeated accusations that Dufrene, who is Robby
Hill's stepfather, received federal assistance to
repair the house but refused to spend the money on fixing
the house and helping the couple.
Dufrene was at the courthouse Wednesday with the family,
but he could not be reached for comment. Several relatives
said the mood was tense between Dufrene and the rest of the
family after the coroner's report was released.
"He let them children move in that house knowing the
kind of danger they were in."
Normand repeated accusations that Dufrene, who is Robby
Hill's stepfather, received federal assistance to
repair the house but refused to spend the money on fixing
the house and helping the couple.
Dufrene was at the courthouse Wednesday with the family,
but he could not be reached for comment. Several relatives
said the mood was tense between Dufrene and the rest of the
family after the coroner's report was released. "I'll never forgive that man ever,"
Normand said.
Reporters were not allowed to interview the family inside
of the building or sit outside the courtroom where the
hearing was held. Hill and Laine left the building shortly
after it closed at 4:30 p.m. but declined to comment on the
hearing or on the coroner's report before leaving.
The family is trying to band together to provide support
for the couple and to provide a safe place for their son to
return to, said Ryan Laine, Casey Laine's brother.
About a dozen family members and friends were on hand at the
courthouse to serve as character witnesses for the couple.
Laine said his sister has been treated unfairly and stressed
that she did everything she could for her daughter and son.
"This is devastation," he said. "Nobody
thought that this would happen like that. . . . I want
everybody to know she is a good mother."
Westwego Police Chief Dwayne Munch said the
coroner's report is just one piece of information to
consider as his department investigates Natalie's
death. Munch would not say whether the couple could face any
criminal charges; he said his department is considering a
wide array of options.
"Everything is on the table. I don't want to
speculate, but everything is on the table," Munch said.
The family is planning to hold a funeral for Natalie Hill
today at the Mothe Funeral Home on Lapalco Boulevard from 8
a.m. to 11 a.m.

The family of 3-month-old Natalie Hill, the baby found dead and covered
in rat bites last week, is asking for a second autopsy on the infant.The Jefferson Parish coroner said Wednesday that the child died of blood loss caused by the rat bites.A
funeral was held Wednesday for Natalie, but her body was not buried so
that doctors can perform the second investigation into her cause of
death.The baby was found dead June 16, in her crib at her home
in the 700 block of Central Avenue in Westwego. Police have said she
was covered in hundreds of rat bites, and there were bloody rat
footprints leading away from her crib.Parents Robby Hill and
Casey Laine, both 21, were in court this week fighting for the custody
of their other child, a 14-month-old boy. The boy was taken into state
custody after Natalie died.

TomTerrific0420 wrote:The family of 3-month-old Natalie Hill, the baby found dead and covered
in rat bites last week, is asking for a second autopsy on the infant.The Jefferson Parish coroner said Wednesday that the child died of blood loss caused by the rat bites.A
funeral was held Wednesday for Natalie, but her body was not buried so
that doctors can perform the second investigation into her cause of
death.The baby was found dead June 16, in her crib at her home
in the 700 block of Central Avenue in Westwego. Police have said she
was covered in hundreds of rat bites, and there were bloody rat
footprints leading away from her crib.Parents Robby Hill and
Casey Laine, both 21, were in court this week fighting for the custody
of their other child, a 14-month-old boy. The boy was taken into state
custody after Natalie died.

what a precious angel :( This is so sad. You know the baby cried when bitten. Where were the parents that they did not respond to a crying child?

The young
brother of a baby who was killed in a rat attack will be cared for by a
relative, but the state will retain custody for now, said Trey Williams
with the Department of Social Services.



Natalie Hill

The 14-month-old child was removed from the
home following the death of his 3-month-old sister Natalie Hill, who
was found covered in blood following an attack by a rat as she slept in
her crib. Last week a forensic pathologist said Natalie was killed due to blood loss from an attack. Family members have defended the parents, Robby Hill and Casey Laine,
and blamed the landlord for not using FEMA money to fix the home. While
police said the home wasn’t dirty, just cluttered, they said the
structure had several issues, such as holes in the wall and floor large
enough for a rat to get through. The landlord denied
those claims last week, saying he had fixed the floors, replaced the
flooring and laid carpet in the house.

WDSU NewsChannel 6 obtained a report on Wednesday done by a private
company hired by the city of Westwego as it examines whether to condemn
the house where a baby girl died from rat bites earlier this month.Three-month-old
Natalie Hill died of blood loss after she suffered hundreds of rat
bites while in her crib at the home at 721 Central Ave., according to
investigators.

The baby's family has since been ordered by police to move out of the home.A
hearing is expected to be held in August to determine whether to
condemn the house. The report will be considered as part of that
hearing.The report shows photos of holes in the floors and walls that would have allowed rats to enter the house.The
photos also showed other hazards, including exposed wire and
insulation, water stains on the ceiling and an exposed water heater.

The landlord of a Louisiana home where a 3-month-old girl died of
rat bites this month has been put on notice by the city that his house
could be condemned. The girl's parents were renting the home in the town of Westwego, when they found Natalie Hill dead in her crib July 16. She was covered in hundreds of rat bites, and she died of blood loss, according to investigators. Landlord
Charles Duprene will go before the Westwego City Council and the mayor
at a hearing next month to answer questions about the conditions of the
home. "There's things as far as sanitary conditions, safety to the neighbors," said Westwego City Councilman Ted Munch. There are also questions about the structural integrity of the house, which the city engineer will reveal in a report. a
copy of that report includes photos of inside the house and detailed
"dangerous, unsanitary conditions, code violations and fire hazards." "Obviously a loss of life is a health hazard and that whole situation is what prompted the hearing," Munch said.

RUSTY COSTANZA / THE TIMES-PICAYUNECasey Marie Laine, second from left, is comforted by relatives in Westwego on Friday, July 17, 2009.

In a last-minute departure, the family of a Westwego baby killed by rats last week has decided to request a second autopsy on the child, a decision made just as the family drove to a cemetery to bury the little girl.
Casey Marie Laine, second from left, is comforted by relatives in Westwego on Friday, July 17, 2009.
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/post_25.html

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2009/09/house_where_rats_killed_baby_g/1952/comments-2.html

The city of Westwego will allow the owner of the house where a 3-month-old girl died from rat bites in July to repair the structure.
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2009/10/house_where_rats_killed_baby_g_1.html
snipped

Autopsy: Blood loss from rat bites killed Westwego baby

Posted on August 15, 2009 at 3:05 PM
Updated Thursday, Oct 22 at 11:31 AM


WESTWEGO, La. - Blood loss due to an attack by a rat or rats was determined to be the cause of death of the three-month-old girl who died last week in a Westwego home, according to a statement by Jefferson Parish Forensic Pathologist Susan M. Garcia.

The official cause of death of Natalie Hill on the statement was "exsanguination due to destruction of soft tissue secondary to murine activity."

Authorities had been trying to determine whether bites occurred while the child was alive or dead.

Hill was found in her crib, covered in blood and her parents placed an emergency 911 call. Bloody prints that appeared to be those of a rat trailed from the crib.

LSU Trauma Surgeon Dr. Alan Marr, who was not connected to the case, said that the small amount of blood present in an infant's body mean that fatal blood loss could have occurred in a short period of time.

"The soft tissue, which would be skin and muscle, maybe all the way down to the bone, was torn open and probably in multiple places in order for the child to have lost enough of their blood volume to die."


Video: Watch the StoryDwayne Munch, the Westwego Police Chief, said the results were not unexpected.

"We had hoped the results would be different, to be honest with you," Munch said.

Munch said his investigators haven't determined if criminal charges will follow, now that the autopsy findings have been released.

The parents of Natalie Hill, Robby Hill and Casey Laine, were in court at a custody hearing Wednesday concerning the status of their other child, a 14-month-old boy who was removed from the home after the baby's death.

The court said it would rule on the case next week after it inspects the home where the parents are living at this time.

Distraught family members defended the parents and lashed out at the home's landlord, Charles Dufrene, who they say did not use FEMA money he had received to address the home's structural problems.

"She died devastatingly," said Ryan Laine, the child's uncle. " The people that should be responsible for this is the landlord."

Eyewitness News tried to reach the landlord at his Lafitte home, but Dufrene never came to the door. The landlord, neighbors have said, is also Robby Hill's step-father.

"They were good parents that would never let nothing happen to this child," said Lisa Lenormand, the child's grandmother, through tears. "That was his (the landlord's) house for 17 years and he let the children come into that house knowing the kind of
danger they were in. He got FEMA assistance three times to fix that place and he failed them. He never gave them a penny."
Natalie Hill was found in her crib by her parents covered with rat bites Thursday morning in the 700 block of Central Avenue.

When EMS and police arrived at the house, Munch said, they found Natalie, a large amount of blood and hundred's of bites on her body - including flesh being removed from her nose and the bottom of her leg.

Lane defended herself publically after the death of her daughter in a Times-Picayune video, saying, "It hurts, it feels like a piece me is gone and it'll never be back.

"I just wish people would stop and realize that I'm a good parent. My husband is a good parent. I never meant to put my child in any kind of danger. If I had known it was that bad, I would have never even lived there."

Munch said the home was cluttered, though not necessarily dirty, but he said the structure had several problems.

"Holes in the wall, holes in the floor," he said. "It's an older home. It's not something you would want to be raising a family in."

Westwego Mayor John Shaddinger said earlier, city code inspectors sent the couple a letter, instructing them to clean up their yard.

"At the front of the house, there was some trash that needed to be removed," said Shaddinger. "They didn't comment that this house needed to be torn down, they never commented that they saw rats.

They never commented it had holes in the side of the building or on the roof."

http://www.wwltv.com/archive/65573057.html