WYNTER ROBERTS - 10 months - (2009) Hickory Hill TN

A 10-month-old baby girl who was airlifted from a Hickory Hill home
died of injuries today, and Memphis Police were are trying to determine
the cause.

The child, Wynter Roberts, was found at a home on Grinstead Cove just after noon Saturday.

The child was taken to Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center at
Memphis in extremely critical condition, and died about 24 hours later.

The babysitter left the child and four other children in the care of a 16-year-old while she performed errands.

Officers who were called to the home near Riverdale and Shelby Drive
just after noon Saturday were told the infant had fallen off a bed and
stopped breathing.

No charges had been filed this evening.

The state Department of Children’s Services is investigating, spokesman Rob Johnson said.

The home is an unlicensed day care operation. A daycare license is
required only if five or more children not related to the caregiver are
being cared for in the home.

A 10-month-old girl, who investigators say was beaten to death by her
babysitter, was remembered Monday. The Memphis Child Advocacy Center
raised its flag in memory of Wynter Roberts.

Police have charged the child's babysitter, 16-year-old Jasmine Malone, with her murder.

Malone is being held at the juvenile detention center without bond. Her next court hearing is on November 25th.

This case and the death of Wynter Roberts is shedding light on an incessant problem in Memphis -- child abuse.

“The
community knows there's more work to do. We as adults are responsible
for a child's protection and safety” says Nancy Williams, Director of
the Child Advocacy Center.

10-month-old Wynter Roberts is the sixth child in Memphis to have died this year as a result of abuse and neglect.

The
Department of Children's Services is now investigating the house in
Hickory Hill where Roberts had been staying. DCS is looking into
whether it was being used as an illegal daycare.

“One of the
things we've noticed is that there are times when children are left
either unsupervised or in the hands of a person, an adult who obviously
doesn't know how to take care of that child” says Williams.

Williams says finding someone to take care of little ones should be the most important decision a parent makes.

“Check out the place more than once. Listen to what your child says if your child is older.”

And if the child is young, like Wynter Roberts, it's even more important to be diligent.

“If
there are adults who you would not entrust your purse with, how much
more important it is to think through who you're leaving your child
with?” says Williams.

TOMISID Birth DateRaceSexSupervisionStatusLocationSentenceBeginParoleEligibility ParoleHearingHearingResult SentenceEnd

MALONE, JASMINE Order Background Check
00481090	10/24/1993	B	F	INCARCERATED	TPFW	12/09/2009				08/07/2024