The FARAH Children - 2 dead/3 hospitalized -(2010) Indianapolis IN

Authorities say two children have been found dead at an Indianapolis apartment complex. The children, between the ages of 5 and 7, were found about 8:45 p.m. Sunday at Manchester Village Apartments, and three other children were taken by ambulance to an area hospital. IMPD spokesman Brian Dixon says a "death investigation" was under way. He says there was no immediate word on a cause of the children's deaths, but there were no signs of trauma or gunshot wounds. Dixon says a woman believed to be the children's mother and two men were taken to police headquarters to be interviewed.

Ind. woman faces neglect charges in 2 kids' deaths

By RICK CALLAHAN(AP)–1 hour agoINDIANAPOLIS — The mother of two children found dead in an Indianapolis apartment was arrested on two preliminary counts of neglect Monday, a day after their bodies were found in the apartment along with three apparently malnourished siblings, police said.Edyan Farah, 28, was charged Monday with two preliminary counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death. Farah, an immigrant from Somalia, was being held Monday at the Marion County Jail on a $200,000 bond.Police said their investigation was ongoing and Farah could face additional charges.Firefighters responding to a reported death at Manchester Village Apartments found the 5-year-old girl and 3-year-old boy dead in the apartment's living room Sunday night.Farah's three other children were taken to a local hospital to be evaluated because they appeared malnourished, while Farah and two adult males were taken by police for questioning, said Indianapolis police spokesman Sgt. Linda Jackson.The three siblings were later turned over to the care of child protective service.Marion County Chief Deputy Coroner Alfarena Ballew said Monday that preliminary autopsy results did not reveal how the boy and girl died. She said the causes of their deaths are pending toxicology results that will take three to four weeks.Ballew said there was "nothing obvious" pointing to how the children had died and she saw no signs of injuries on either child. The children did not appear malnourished considering their ethnic background, age and weight, she said.Hussein Adam, a cousin of the children's father, said Farah and her family had emigrated from Somalia about a decade ago. He arrived at the apartment Monday morning with five other relatives who had driven from Chicago after hearing of the deaths.Adam said the family is in mourning and isn't sure what happened."We're feeling the pain. It's just kind of a disaster — something we did not expect," he said.Adam said Farah's husband returned to Somalia several weeks ago to visit his parents, but he boarded a flight for the U.S. soon after he heard the news of the deaths.Neighbors said the children rarely left the apartment on Indianapolis' southwest side and were often seen looking out of the unit's windows, waving at people passing by.Dina Thomas, who lives next door to Farah's unit with her mother and 13-year-old son, said she and her mother noticed that the children appeared unusually thin.Whenever the children came outside, she said her mother offered them food."They just always look skinny, like malnutrition," she said.Thomas said that on Sunday hours before the two youngsters were found dead, Farah and a man were involved in a loud argument that played out in full public view as the pair walked about outside, shouting at each other. Arguments were common at the apartment, she said.Thomas said an incident that occurred last week as her mother was leaving the apartment now haunts her. As her mother walked to her car, one of the children ran up to her and begged her to take her with her, Thomas said."A little girl grabbed my mom's hand and asked her if she would take her away. My mom didn't think anything of it, she just said, `Oh, honey, you don't know me. I'm a stranger. Go on back home.'"Tina Mashushire, who lives nearby, said that other neighbors often remarked that the children's mother rarely let them outside. About a month ago, she said she was surprised to see all five children outside playing with other youngsters."I said, `Finally, she let them out,'" she said. "They're always stuck in the house."http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hzBWcQ0htNFySpneNQTe6iakP_hQD9IBTVC00

Moving this here even though it has not been called a homicide yet and only neglect charges have been filed so far.

Good move Kiwi! In my mind it's only a matter of time before a higher level of charges is laid.

Thomas said an incident that occurred last week as her mother was leaving the apartment now haunts her. As her mother walked to her car, one of the children ran up to her and begged her to take her with her, Thomas said.

"A little girl grabbed my mom's hand and asked her if she would take her away. My mom didn't think anything of it, she just said, 'Oh, honey, you don't know me. I'm a stranger. Go on back home.'"

OMG!! What the hell was going on in that place that this child must of had some sort of ominous fore sight to try to escape?
How horrible must it had been in that 'home' to beg a stranger to take you away?

That just makes me want to cry...

The detective investigating the deaths Sunday of two children on the city's Southwest side said they, as well as their mother and surviving siblings, appeared to be extremely thin and possibly suffering from dehydration.But Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Detective Scott Scheid declined to speculate on what killed a 3-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. Autopsies were performed Monday, but results of toxicology and other tests have not yet been released.The children were found "in a state of rigor mortis in a front living room" of an apartment in the Manchester Village complex. They might have been dead for about two hours by the time police responded to a 911 call at 8:40 p.m., Scheid said, and there were no visible wounds on their bodies.Their mother, Ebyan Farah, 28, was arrested and charged with two counts of neglect. Police were considering filing additional charges against her. She is the only suspect under investigation.The father, Burhan Hassan, is a cabdriver but has been in Africa about a month visiting family, according to a fellow driver.Three surviving children, ages 7, 5 and 1, were taken into protective custody by the Department of Child Services, which could mean they're with family members or in foster care. DCS spokesperson Ann Houseworth declined to elaborate.The Farah/Hassans are among a half-dozen families from war-torn Somalia living in the apartment complex. They have lived there about four years, neighbors said.Neighbor Ibrahim Mohammed Diini, a trucker born in Somalia, said he checked on Farah and the children three weeks ago and all seemed well.But some of the other neighbors painted a picture of a household in disarray, of a mother who kept to herself and rarely left the apartment.Janice Kline said Farah's children spent much of their time in their backyard, a plot of uncut grass not much larger than a living room and walled in by an 8-foot-tall privacy fence. Monday, the yard held a swing set and teeter-totter as well as a large, broken flat-screen television and a half-dozen carpets piled on top of an old clothes dryer.Kline, 45, whose mother lives next door, said the children were often outdoors even in the recent extreme heat, and that they'd be "beating and kicking at the door," trying to get inside.The yard, on the apartment's west side, offers no shade from the afternoon sun. Kline's 13-year-old son, Shawn, recalled tossing the children a water bottle and them passing it around and drinking eagerly.The Klines did not alert authorities -- "we didn't know who to call," said Janice Kline."It does not appear we had an open assessment," or investigation, of the family, said DCS's Houseworth. "Obviously, we do now."Farah spoke some English and could drive. Her minivan was parked outside the apartment Monday.Nicole Felt, who lives across the parking lot, said, "the mom and kids stayed inside mostly. The dad was friendly. You'd see him coming and going in his cab. It was, 'Hi, how are you?' "The apartment's management declined to provide any details about the family. Hassan left for a visit with family in Kenya about a month ago, said fellow Somali and cabdriver Ali Jamal."This is a horrible, horrific, tragic thing that has happened," Jamal said.

Five siblings were crammed in a small apartment closet for more than 10 hours Sunday, resulting in the deaths of two children, police said Tuesday.The disturbing new details were released as police continue to investigate the deaths of Zuhur Farah, 5, and Zakariya Farah, 3.



Police said Edyan Farah, 28, told them she locked her five children in a closet and left the apartment in the 4600 block of Londonderry Court, near Mann Road and Kentucky Avenue, so she could visit a neighbor.
According to a police report, Farah had blocked the closet door with a bed, and when she returned about 10 hours later, she found two of the children had died.Indianapolis police Lt. Jeff Duhamell said the circumstances of the case were the worst he had seen in 28 years of police work."The bottom line is, animals are treated better than that," he said.Investigators are still awaiting a toxicology report, but said they think the cause of death was positional asphyxiation.The closet was 6 feet-by-18 inches, police said, and one of the surviving siblings told officers that they had been crammed in there before.The deceased children were in rigor mortis when medics arrived. Farah told investigators that she had not fed the children before leaving and that she didn't call 911 or try to revive them after finding their lifeless bodies.A friend of Farah, Ahmed Jama, 30, told police that he had become concerned about her behavior in the hours before police arrived and that she wouldn't let anyone in the apartment.Farah's uncle, Mohammad Hersi, told police that he peered into an open door at the apartment at about 6 p.m. and "saw what appeared to him as a deceased child laying on the couch inside the apartment" and attempted to call 911, according to the police report."Farah grabbed the phone from Mohammad Hersi and threw it," the report said.Police said Farah told them she "was not in her right mind" when she locked the children up at about 6 a.m. Sunday, finding two of them dead a little after 4 p.m.Neighbors are still dealing with the shock of the deaths."The kids were always at the window waving and saying 'hi' when you walked by. They were never out playing, but they always seemed happy," said Nicole Felt. "My heart goes out to those kids -- the two that passed, certainly, and the three that now have to live with what happened … My heart hurts for that family."Farah was arrested on charges of neglect of a dependent. Authorities are awaiting autopsy results, after which charges against her could be upgraded and additional charges could be filed.The three siblings of the children who died were malnourished, but otherwise unharmed, police said. They were removed from the home and are in state custody.Neighbors said the father of the children, a taxi driver, returned to his native Somalia about a month ago, but is said to be on his way back to Indianapolis.

Woman who killed kids to be sentenced



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlY2KlSzt6A

Edyan Farah Sentenced To 60 Years For 2 Felony Counts Of Child Neglect

Dec 14, 2012

A mother will spend 40 years in prison after locking five of her children in a closet, resulting in the death of two of them.

Edyan Farah was sentenced Friday to 60 years for two felony counts of child neglect. Of those, 40 years will be served in prison, 10 will be served as home detention and 10 will be served as probation.

Several of Farah’s charges were dropped as a result of her pleading guilty to two charges of neglect.

Police said Farah put her five kids in a bedroom closet measuring 6 feet by 2 feet, then pushed a bed up against the door so they could not get out. She then went to a friend’s house. More than 10 hours later, she returned to find her 3-year-old and 5-year-old not breathing. Investigators said all the children were severely malnourished.

http://wishtv.com/news/crime/mom-gets-prison-time-for-kids-in-closet