CECILIA "CC" DENISE HARRIS - 20 Months (2010) - Dubuque IA

According to court documents, Cecilia Denise Harris, 20 months old,
was last seen shortly after Memorial Day weekend.
An anonymous tip came into the Iowa Department of Human Services that
Cecilia’s mother, Tamelia Shonte Harris, 32, of 1970 St. Joseph St.,
had sent her child to live with someone else.
Cecilia Denise Harris 10/18/08 (20 months old) described as a black
female, approximately 2’ 3” tall, 25 pounds, with black hair and brown
eyes. Cecilia, also known as "CC", has both ears pierced and might have
a cut healing on the back of her head. Cecilia was last seen in
Dubuque at the beginning of June 2010 wearing a white t-shirt.


Harris has been unable to provide an explanation of where her
daughter was. At first, she said she took Cecilia, also known as “CC,”
to the her grandmother's house in North Carolina. The grandmother, Mary
Drummond, said she has not seen Cecilia recently. She indicated Cecilia
had fallen and hurt her head, and Harris did not take Cecilia to the
hospital because she was afraid of Human Services.
Dubuque Assistant County Attorney Chris Corken said Harris has not
been cooperative with police, and a child is out there and missing. She
called Harris “an extremely dangerous person.”
Harris has at least six other children, including a 10-day-old. The
children are now in the care of Human Services.Harris is in custody on a $250 million cash bond.

A mother in Dubuque is now behind bars after police say they may have
found the remains of her missing daughter.

Tamelia Shonte Harris' 20-month-old daughter Cecilia has been missing.
Police searched Harris' property and investigators say they found what
they believe are human remains.

One neighbor, Ruth Hickson, says she often saw Harris screaming and
swearing at her seven children, and something caught her attention last
month. Hickson says, "Around June 1st, I was on the swing and the
children did come out to get in the van and I noticed there was a child
missing."

Harris is being held in the Dubuque County Jail on two-hundred 50
thousand dollars bond for neglect or abandonment of a dependent.

Investigators believe the human remains found on
the Dubuque property where a woman charged in connection with the
disappearance of a 20-month-old girl lived are of a small child.

Police have offered few details on the remains
found in Tamelia Harris' backyard.

She's been charged with felony neglect or
abandonment of a dependent person after allegedly giving false
information about the whereabouts of Cecilia Denise Harris.

Cecilia was last seen about a month ago.

Authorities allege 32-year-old Tamelia Harris
told investigators she sent the girl to live with her grandmother in
North Carolina. The grandmother later told police she hadn't seen the
child.

Harris later said she sent the girl to live with a
friend in Davenport.

She's in custody at Dubuque County Jail and
couldn't be reached for comment.

Tamelia S. Harris posted frequently on her Facebook page.
The 32-year-old's last post came hours before her arrest Wednesday,
when police began to search for her 20-month-old daughter, Cecilia, who
is one of Tamelia's seven children and was last seen about a month ago.
"i guess when people want yo kids they will do anything to try to
make that happen rather its a lie or not," Harris wrote.
On Friday, authorities found what they believe to be the remains of a
small child in the backyard of the girl's home. The body has not been identified.
Police declined to comment about the condition of the body or how
long it might have been there. The remains have been sent to the Iowa
Medical Examiner's office and other items were sent to the state crime lab.
There were no new developments in the investigation on Saturday.
Police did not expect any reports from the crime lab until early next week at the soonest.
Harris became the subject of a police investigation after the
Department of Human Services received an anonymous tip that she had sent
Cecilia to live with someone else.
Harris provided police false information about the location of the child.
She was charged Friday with felony neglect or
abandonment of a dependent person.
Harris posted on Facebook and played Facebook-based games multiple
times per day, but there was no activity between May 18 and June 17.
Cecilia was last seen in Dubuque around the beginning of June.
Harris gave birth to a child on June 20. The night before, she posted
on Facebook that she feared that her son was following in his father's footsteps.
She said her oldest son was "pissing me off hanging out with these
kids who parents let them do what they want and get mad cause I don't let
him do the same thing ..."
In the comment thread that followed, Harris had several
expletive-filled posts revealing her emotions and frustrations with
events and others in her life.
"... And i got so much (expletive) build up in me girl i might kill
someone so i just try to keep my cool ..."
Later, she concluded a post by writing, "... But i just try to take
it a day at a time and not get angry over everything so i wont have a breakdown."

According to court documents filed this
week, Dubuque resident Tamelia Harris reportedly told a social
worker there was a bad accident involving her young daughter, and
said she didn't have a funeral for the child.


Harris reportedly made the statement to the social worker after
police found blood-spattered window blinds, bed sheets and
children's scissors in her home.


Harris is currently being held on a charge of felony neglect or
abandonment of a dependent person. Last week, police began a search
for Harris' 20-month-old daughter, Cecelia, after an anonymous tip
that the girl was sent to live with someone else. Officers say that
while searching for the girl, they discovered what they believe to
be the remains of a small child in Harris' yard. The remains have
not been identified.

Information in a second search warrant has revealed more disturbing
details about the disappearance of a little girl in Dubuque.

After police found what appeared to be human bones in Tamelia Harris'
backyard last week, officers searched her house for a second time.

The woman's 20-month-old daughter, known as "CC" was reported missing last month.

Search Warrant 2 Davis


During that second search police found a fire pit, charcoal lighter, a gas can, and a burnt baby doll toy.

On Tuesday, Harris pleaded not guilty to a felony child neglect because of the girl's disappearance.

Police are waiting on test results to identify the remains they found in Harris' backyard.

Poster's note: Somebody please tell me that the accused will not go to trial BEFORE the tests on the body are completed.

A Dubuque mom charged with felony child neglect is demanding a speedy
trial.

Police arrested Tamelia Harris last month after her
22-month-old daughter disappeared. Police later found what they believe
are the bones of a small child in Harris's backyard.

Investigators
are still waiting for the state medical examiner to identity the bones
before they file any additional charges.

The child-neglect trial of a Dubuque woman
has been delayed as authorities wait for lab results on apparent human
remains discovered in her backyard.

Tamelia Harris was arrested in June after police began searching for her 20-month-old daughter, Cecilia.

While trying to find the toddler, police
found what they believe are the remains of a small child in Harris'
yard. Authorities are awaiting lab results to identify the remains and
provide clues about the cause of death.

Harris' trial on the neglect charge was set
for Aug. 30 in Dubuque County District Court. The trial has been
delayed, and no new date is set.

Headlines
October trial set for Tamelia Harris in child neglect case
by Associated Press :: UPDATED: 3 September 2010 | 7:35 am :: in Public Safety :: 12 Comments

Tamelia Harris
The child neglect trial of a Dubuque woman is now set for October while authorities still await lab results on apparent human remains discovered in her yard.

Tamelia Harris was arrested in June after police began searching for her 20-month-old daughter, Cecilia.

While trying to find the toddler, police found what they believe are the remains of a small child in Harris’ yard. Authorities are awaiting lab results to identify the remains and provide clues about the cause and manner of death. The process could take several months.

Harris’ trial on the neglect charge had been set for Aug. 30, but was delayed.

Harris’ trial is now set for Oct. 18.

On Wednesday, the Dubuque County Attorney's office announced Tamelia Harris had been charged with first degree murder. Prosecutors believe she killed her 20-month old daughter, Cecilia, and then burned the body in a fire-pit behind her house.

In July, investigators found human bones in Harris' backyard. They suspected they were the remains of the girl who had been missing since June. The long awaited DNA tests are back from the state medical examiner. The results show the bones police found in the backyard of this house are those of Cecilia Harris.

Investigators also found blood stains on the bedroom walls and in a closet. A friend told police Tamelia told her she slammed Cecilia's head off the headboard to her bed and threw Cecilia in the closet. Test results prove that was Cecilia's blood.

Police later found bones in a backyard fire pit- again, bones that testing now shows are Cecilia's. One neighbor told police he saw huge flames coming from that fire pit a few days before Celilia was reported missing. Tamelia admitted to a friend she was burning things in that pit in the middle of the night, but did not say what she was burning.

Harris had been charged with negligence after allegedly giving investigators false information about the whereabouts of her daughter

Authorities say Tamelia Harris told investigators she sent Cecilia to live with her grandmother in North Carolina who later told police she hadn't seen the child. The 32-year-old Harris later said she sent the girl to live with a friend in Davenport.

Police say Harris' other children are still in foster care. She is scheduled to make an court appearance Wednesday morning.

DUBUQUE, Iowa —

A Dubuque woman charged in the death of her 20-month-old daughter has pleaded not guilty.

The Telegraph Herald is reporting that 33-year-old Tamelia
Harris entered her plea Monday in Dubuque County District Court.
She is charged with first-degree murder in the July death of her daughter, Cecilia.

Harris has been in jail since July when police began looking for
her daughter. She was initially arrested on a charge of child
neglect. Police later found the remains of a small child in Harris' backyard.

She was charged with first-degree murder earlier this month. She remains held on $750,000 bond.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ia-dubuque-missingch,0,4591215.story

Her name was Cecilia Moffitt. She was 20 months old.

Her mother lied to police when Cecilia went missing last summer in Dubuque. This month, that mother, Tamelia Harris, was charged with first-degree murder after bones found in a fire pit in the family's back yard were traced to the missing girl.

A decade before, court records show, that same mother was convicted of negligent abandonment after another daughter, Jade, was burned in a fire and almost died. At the time, Jade was a little older than Cecilia is now.


Every year, it seems, Iowans learn of at least one child who is overlooked in the state's child-welfare system and suffers horrendous consequences. Such stories, while shocking, are no more common now than they were earlier in the decade, a Des Moines Register review of child deaths shows.

In that span, the state's population has increased slightly, and its child-welfare system has undergone steep budget cuts and several structural overhauls. But child deaths in Iowa have remained relatively low since a peak in 2003, when 16 children were killed, according to reports obtained this month.The reports show the Iowa Department of Human Services was involved with some of the children's families beforehand, but that did not avert tragedy.

Steve Scott, who heads Prevent Child Abuse Iowa, a nonprofit group in Des Moines, said the number of deaths due to abuse continues to be low compared with other states.

But Scott cautioned that annual death statistics say little about how well or how poorly the state's child-welfare system has responded to individual cases, a source of
steady debate in recent years. Besides state workers, the system includes judges, private social workers and guardians appointed to protect children's interests.

The numbers speak to the need for more efforts to help Iowa parents - especially new parents — deal with stress, the leading cause of most abuse, Scott said.

"The primary cause of child deaths in Iowa is not DHS incompetence," he said. "Where we have work to do is in making better parents, and helping them deal
with stress."

Abuse deaths decrease in last half of decade


Forty-three children younger than 18 died because of abuse from 2005 to 2009, DHS statistics show. The families of seven of those children were already known to the state's child-welfare system, but mostly through previous cases involving siblings.The number is not high. From 2000 to 2004, 67 children died from abuse.

In 2000, a Des Moines Register investigation after a high-profile child death found that at least nine children whose families had been the subject of prior abuse
investigations had died in a year.

After a bevy of reports showed DHS failed in its responsibility to protect a child who was brutalized despite numerous warnings, the 2003 Legislature ordered an overhaul of the child-welfare system.But the caseloads of DHS workers and their helpers continued to climb as thousands of anxious Iowans flooded the agency with more reports of abuse.

By 2005, petitions to juvenile court to help abused children reached a high of 6,417, social workers' 50-family caseloads were some of the highest in the nation, and the
federal government had given the state poor marks in several areas, particularly for failures to work with birth parents and to stop further abuse.At the same time, scores of families complained that the DHS had adopted a take-the-child-first-ask-questions-later approach. Since then, DHS has twice overhauled the system, changed policies and streamlined as budgets tightened.

The department has concentrated services on the highest-risk cases. It has offered free and voluntary services - home visits, parenting classes and the like - to families deemed at lower risk for re-abuse.

In recent years, DHS has sharpened its assessment tools, focusing on keeping more children safe at home. But the agency also lost $130 million last year because of budget cuts. Abuse statewide is rising again, in part tied to the recession, and the caseloads of managers still monitoring highest-risk cases "are soaring because we've lost so many people to retirement who can't be replaced," agency spokesman Roger Munns said.

Though the safety net the state can provide is limited, even one bad call is too many, Munns said.

"When there's a bad result, we have to ask ourselves: 'Did we follow policy?' and, if we did, 'Should there be a different one?' "

Dubuque case records show years of neglect


It is clear from court records that Cecilia's mother was under stress before the baby died.

It is also clear Tamelia Harris, 33, was a violent person with a history of neglecting her children.

In June, Harris told investigators that her missing daughter was with a childhood friend. But when authorities couldn't locate the baby, they sought help from the public.

Harris also told her grandmother after her daughter disappeared that Cecilia had been hurt, but Harris didn't go the hospital because she was afraid of DHS workers, records show. Police found a pair of children's scissors stained with blood in her home, as well as spatter on blinds and bed sheets. According to court documents, a friend of Harris' told police she had seen Harris pick up the girl that May, shake her and throw her in a closet. One of Harris' other children said she could hear Cecilia crying from her mother's closet.

Court records show Harris was found guilty three times of assault causing bodily injury in the 1990s, in addition to convictions for trespassing, felony forgery and probation violations.

In the 2001 abandonment case, firefighters and police arrived at Harris' Bluff Street home on Jan. 2 to find her daughter, Jade, 2, on fire and near death.The state fire marshal would later conclude that the girl used a lighter to start either bedding or trash beside a bed on fire.

Harris had left the 2-year-old alone with her 5-year-old brother to go to a friend's house. The mother told police she had left the children alone before when she had gone to the store. The 5-year-old boy also told investigators his mother left him and his sister at home at times, according to a criminal complaint.

A school counselor told police the 5-year-old had suffered "long-term mental and emotional trauma," according to the same complaint.After the fire, Harris was again given probation, and DHS was called in.

It is unclear from courtrecords whether the 5-year-old and Jade were removed from the home, but at some point DHS child-protective workers ended their involvement with Harris' family.

Assistant Dubuque County Attorney Chris Corken said she assumes Harris worked successfully with child-welfare workers because her probation was never revoked.

Toughest calls fall between the extremes


A few extreme child-abuse cases in recent years have led to intense external and internal scrutiny of child-protective workers.

In a couple of cases in which families had prior history with the agency, DHS made policy changes as a result.

For example, this year after a high-profile, near-death abuse case, DHS started contracting with medical specialists to better evaluate tough-call cases of suspected child abuse.

The department already used child-abuse detection centers in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Muscatine, Sioux City and Omaha to evaluate abuse, but it did not have
24-hour expertise available for difficult cases in all regions of the state. The decision came after a widely publicized case involving a Des Moines infant, Ethan Neiderbach, the grandson of a DHS financial analyst who was also a former Des Moines school board member. The baby was born last year with marijuana in his system and sustained a broken arm before he was a month old - abuse that was reviewed by DHS workers, screened by medical professionals and brought to the attention of state prosecutors.

Yet the baby remained in his parents' care, where he ultimately suffered rib fractures and brain trauma before being taken, unresponsive, to a Des Moines hospital at 7 weeks old. That case, like the one involving Harris this year, is extreme.

Far more common is the kind of abuse children suffer at the hands of parents, particularly new parents,nwho are under too much stress and have too few resources and support.

Scott said the most difficult cases are the cases in the middle - ones in which it's difficult to decide whether a parent's actions reflect a dangerous pattern, a one-time error in judgment or an accident.

"Some cases are just pretty dire, especially when there are drugs and other ancillary factors," Scott said. "But most abuse is actually neglect. And somewhere between those two situations is where it gets really challenging for child-protective officials."

Scott's organization helps administer programs aimed at helping parents through education, crisis and respite care. State-distributed community empowerment money
also help fund 40 to 50 local services, including home visit programs.

Another program started in 2009 attempts to help new parents prepare for babies.

Baby shaking continues to be the leading cause of child homicide in Iowa. The modest program provides new parents with a video aimed at helping them deal with stress. Many fatalities or serious injuries are the result of parents snapping, "or in cases where a baby is left with someone who's not prepared to be a caretaker at all," Scott said. "The prevention interventions we have in place have some likelihood of success when they come early."

Next year, new federal health-care money will help the state expand existing outreach to parents at risk for abuse. The state will get $600,000 to increase home visits with parents across the state, an amount that will grow over five years. Still, child-welfare officials know, some tragedies will continue to happen.

Last week, a new father, Ryan Nicholas Trowbridge, 20, of Ankeny, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of his 4-month-old daughter, Rylee.

He has no criminal record, court records show.

Vigil, Murder Trial Date Set In Dubuque Girl's Death

DUBUQUE, Iowa - A Dubuque group is honoring the memory of a young girl who died in their community.

Last month, test results confirmed the bones police found in a backyard fire pit were those of 20-month old Cecelia Harris.

Police charged the girl's mother Tamelia Harris with first degree murder.

This Saturday night, a group of moms will hold a candlelight vigil for Cecelia to honor her memory.

Also, Harris' murder trial is now scheduled for April 11, according to an online court calendar.

Harris is accused of killling Cecilia, then burning the body in the fire pit.

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Vigil-Murder-Trial-Date-Set-In-Dubuque-Girls-Death-113453459.html.

DUBUQUE, Iowa — Trial for a Dubuque woman charged in the death of her toddler daughter has been postponed until May 23.

Tamelia Harris is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her 20-month-old daughter Cecilia. Trial was set for April 11 in Dubuque County but Harris has requested it be moved from the county.

The Telegraph Herald is reporting that a hearing on the request is set for April 15.

The 33-year-old Harris has been in jail since July when police began looking for the child. She was initially arrested on a charge of child neglect. Police later found the remains of a small child in Harris' backyard.
___
Information from: Telegraph Herald, http://www.thonline.com

Trial Date Set for Tamelia Harris

DUBUQUE, Iowa - The Dubuque woman accused of killing her 20-month-old daughter will face a Scott County Jury.

The first degree murder trial for Tamelia Harris is set to begin September 26, 2011.

Attorneys agreed on that date during a hearing on Tuesday.

A Dubuque County judge ruled to move Harris’s trial to Scott County due to pre-trial media coverage.

Police say Harris killed her daughter, Cecelia. Last summer investigators found the girl’s remains in the backyard of the Harris home.
http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Trial-Date-Set-for-Tamelia-Harris-123466939.html

Dubuque Woman Accused Of Killing Daughter To Serve 78 Years In Prison

Story Created: Aug 15, 2011 CDT

MANCHESTER, Iowa - A Dubuque woman charged in the death of her toddler daughter has pleaded guilty to six charges, including child endangerment resulting in death and desecration of a corpse.

Tamelia Harris pleaded guilty on Monday at the Delaware County Courthouse in Manchester. She was sentenced to 78 years in prison.

Harris had been charged with first-degree murder in the death of her 20-month-old daughter, Cecelia. Harris had been jailed since July 2010 when police began looking for the child. Police later found the remains of a small child in Harris' backyard.

Harris waived her right for a 15 day delay before sentencing. She told the judge she wanted to be sentenced at the pre-trial hearing Monday.

Dubuque Assistant County Attorney Chris Corken says they agreed to a plea because she wasn’t sure if they would be able to prove first degree murder.

Instead of risking a jury finding Harris not guilty, Corken says they pursued six separate counts that would mandate Harris to spend 78 years in prison.

The defense stated that the plea eliminated a life in prison term and gives Harris the eligibility for parole.

The 6 charges Harris plead guilty to are :
1. Child endangerment resulting in death - 50 Years
2. Neglect of dependent minor - 10 Years
3. Desecration of a corpse - 5 Years
4. Possession of incendiary device -10 Years
5. Child endangerment - 2 Years
6. Providing false information to law enforcement - 1 Year

http://www.kcrg.com/news/dubuque/Dubuque-Woman-Accused-Of-Killing-Daughter-127773813.html

An Iowa toddler whose remains were found in the backyard of her family’s home in 2010 has been laid to rest.
KGAN-TV
reports a funeral for Cecelia Harris was held Saturday morning at a
cemetery outside of Dubuque. The girl’s remains had been in state
custody during the investigation of her death.
The girl was 20 months old when she went missing in July 2010. Police later found the remains of a small child in the backyard.
The girl’s mother, Tamelia Harris, pleaded guilty in August to six charges, including child endangerment resulting in death and desecration of a corpse. She’s been sentenced to 78 years in prison.
http://thegazette.com/2011/10/16/dubuque-girl-laid-to-rest-more-than-year-after-death/