SANYIAH KATZ - 17 months -(2010) Cincinnati OH

Cincinnati police said they plan to talk with Hamilton County prosecutors
Wednesday about whether to file upgraded criminal charges against a babysitter
accused of violently shaking a baby now that the infant girl has died.
Sanyiah Katz was pronounced dead at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical
Center Tuesday, according to Cincinnati Police Homicide Sgt. Bob Liston. She was
17-months-old.
Derrick Pitts, 27, of North Fairmount, remains at the Hamilton County jail on
a felonious assault charge in lieu of $750,000 bond.

Pitts was caring for
the child from late Sunday until early Monday. He called 911 from his home about
6:30 a.m. He told police the infant was standing in the crib crying, so he took
her out and placed her on the floor to change her diaper, according to police
reports.

He told investigators he noticed the girl was stiffening up and
having trouble breathing. Pitts told investigators that he began performing CPR
on the infant. He told police he called his girlfriend, but she didn’t pick up
the phone. That’s when he called 911.

In court Tuesday, Pitts’ public
defender called the incident an “accident,” although the police report said he
accepted responsibility for injuring the child.

A doctor with Children’s
Hospital, who investigates abuse to children, told police the infant’s injuries
were the result of acute trauma and did not appear to be accidental.

Thank you so much for adding SaNyiah to your web site. As her grandma she is not just another statistic, but a missing link in my families life and a hole in my heart
. When SaNyiah passed we opend a memorial fund at US Bank in Cincinnati to help pay for funeral arrangments since there is no assistance available immediately to a family in need.
Victims of Crime is there but it is a government agency that takes alot of work and time to try and get reinbursed for your expences.
I have recently decided to persue this issue of making funds available to those families in need to help for the final arrangement of their little one who has passed as a victim of child abuse.
The SANYIAH ROSE"LYNN KATZ MEMORIAL FUND will remain active to help others with the assistance of the Mayerson Center A part of Childrens Hospital that handles abuse cases as well as the victim advopcate program.
along with the Spring Grove Cementary. I hope that people will open their hearts and pockets and may our $$ need not be spent, since that means another family like mine has lost a little one.
May the spirit in which you believe keep our babies safe and punish those who hurt them.
Just a note there was a piece we did over this past week end on WCPO, you can view it on the web site.
Child abuse affects all walks of life...Hold those and all those accountable!!

stacyk wrote:Thank you so much for adding SaNyiah to your web site. As her grandma she is not just another statistic, but a missing link in my families life and a hole in my heart
. When SaNyiah passed we opend a memorial fund at US Bank in Cincinnati to help pay for funeral arrangments since there is no assistance available immediately to a family in need.
Victims of Crime is there but it is a government agency that takes alot of work and time to try and get reinbursed for your expences.
I have recently decided to persue this issue of making funds available to those families in need to help for the final arrangement of their little one who has passed as a victim of child abuse.
The SANYIAH ROSE"LYNN KATZ MEMORIAL FUND will remain active to help others with the assistance of the Mayerson Center A part of Childrens Hospital that handles abuse cases as well as the victim advopcate program.
along with the Spring Grove Cementary. I hope that people will open their hearts and pockets and may our $$ need not be spent, since that means another family like mine has lost a little one.
May the spirit in which you believe keep our babies safe and punish those who hurt them.
Just a note there was a piece we did over this past week end on WCPO, you can view it on the web site.
Child abuse affects all walks of life...Hold those and all those accountable!!

Thank you so much for posting. God Bless you and your family, my heart goes out to you.
The article doesn't say where Sanyiah's mother was or, why she didn't answer her phone, can you clear that up for us? The biggest thing that needs to happen is for the punishment to be harsher for these child abusers and, for the parent that leaves their child with them. It's unfortunate there isn't more help for single parents to have responsible sitters when they are at work or school.
What is WCPO? What's the website?
Will be keeping you in my prayers. Keep up the good work of not letting Sanyiah die in vain. God Bless.

The following link is to a local news station which has been covering the SaNyiah Rose'Lynn story. You will find several other acticles as well as video interviews with me and SaNiah's mother, Marrissa. The information in the videos will clear up some of the questions.

http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story/Are-Mothers-Caregivers-Getting-Away-With-Murder/JPh9Vpg0lEmUGd3mcZy7jw.cspx

stacyk wrote:The following link is to a local news station which has been covering the SaNyiah Rose'Lynn story. You will find several other acticles as well as video interviews with me and SaNiah's mother, Marrissa. The information in the videos will clear up some of the questions.

http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story/Are-Mothers-Caregivers-Getting-Away-With-Murder/JPh9Vpg0lEmUGd3mcZy7jw.cspx

Thank you.

Welcome stacyk. I'm so very sorry for your loss. I read the article you provided a link for. Thank you for that. I understand completely why you want Rachel to be charged as well. I agree, but ultimately Marrissa let her baby down. As Rachel was Marissa's best friend I assume she knew that Rachel worked, and if the article is correct she worked a night shift. What was Marissa's understanding of who was going to be caring for her child while Rachel worked? Was Marissa incapable of caring for her child or did she just choose to pass the responsibility to others?
If we don't look at everything that happened that contributed to the death of a child we will not prevent it from happening again. It is very rarely just one person or thing.

RIP SaNyiah, you are safe now. Your family is in my prayers, you truly are going thru a living hell. With that being said, I cannot support Marissa. Marissa was given this child as a gift from God, if she couldn't take care of SaNyiah like she deserved then she should've been calling family or child services. Knowing her best friend had a job, it was Marissa's duty to find out who would be taking care of her child while Rachel worked, I'm sure she wouldn't expect her to quit her job to take care of the baby. Regardless if her best friend had a job or not really isn't in question here, it's the fact that Marissa didn't thoroughly check things out before turning her baby over to somebody else. I agree that this shit has to stop, when are mothers going to learn that children are not disposable? I also agree that it isn't just the murderer/abuser that should be charged, the mothers need to start spending some time in jail also--and, being fixed so they can have no more children to be murdered/abused. SaNyiah is the ONLY, victim here. She depended on her mother to take care of her and keep her safe.
God Bless all the children, they truly are the innocents.

kiwimom wrote:Welcome stacyk. I'm so very sorry for your loss. I read the article you provided a link for. Thank you for that. I understand completely why you want Rachel to be charged as well. I agree, but ultimately Marrissa let her baby down. As Rachel was Marissa's best friend I assume she knew that Rachel worked, and if the article is correct she worked a night shift. What was Marissa's understanding of who was going to be caring for her child while Rachel worked? Was Marissa incapable of caring for her child or did she just choose to pass the responsibility to others?
If we don't look at everything that happened that contributed to the death of a child we will not prevent it from happening again. It is very rarely just one person or thing.

I whole heartedly agree with you on this Kiwi.

NEW COURT HEARING
Tuesday May 17, 2011 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
HAMILTON COUNTY COURT HOUSE (map)

http://sanyiahroselynnmemorialfoundation.webs.com/apps/calendar/showEvent?calID=4526944&eventID=108764045

Status	Date	Time	Location	Judge	Action
Active	7/21/2011	09:00 AM	H.C. COURT HOUSE ROOM 530	PAT DEWINE	PLEA OR TRIAL SETTING

http://www.courtclerk.org/case_summary.asp?sec=sched&casenumber=B 1001720

9/26/2011

10:00 AM

H.C. COURT HOUSE ROOM 530

PAT DEWINE

JURY TRIAL

http://www.courtclerk.org/case_summary.asp?sec=sched&casenumber=B 1001720

Active 10/24/2011 09:00 AM H.C. COURT HOUSE ROOM 530 PAT DEWINE JURY TRIAL

http://www.courtclerk.org/case_summary.asp?sec=sched&casenumber=B%201001720

Man gets 10 years for shaking toddler to death

8:08 AM, Oct. 27, 2011

Derrick Pitts admitted Wednesday to shaking a 17-month-old girl to death last year and will spend 10 years in prison for it.

Pitts, 29, of North Fairmount, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and child endangering, reduced from the original charge of murder.

Pitts was caring for Sanyiah Katz in March 2010 when she started having bloody foam coming from her mouth. At first, Pitts denied shaking the child but later confessed his responsibility to police. Doctors who examined the child noted her injuries weren't accidental.

Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Pat DeWine immediately sentenced Pitts.

The murder charge could have resulted in a sentence of life in prison.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20111026/NEWS010702/110270313/Man-gets-10-years-shaking-toddler-death?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Crime%20&%20Courts|s