JAYAHN COX-PHOENIX - 3 yo -(2010) Swatara (W of Allentown) PA

A follow up, to an exclusive story you saw here first, on CBS 21 News at eleven Wednesday night.A Dauphin County grandmother says she plans to sue Children and Youth. She claims they didn't investigate properly, when she reported that her three year old grandson was being abused. The boy ended up dying.Wednesday, Swatara Township Police announced that they're investigating Jayahn Cox-Phoenix's death as homicide. The assistant district attorney on this case says that even though they announced that this was a homicide case Wednesday, his office has known for quite some time that someone killed this child. The boy was in the care of his father at the time of his death. When CBS 21 asked the assistant district attorney if the dad is a suspect at this time, we were told that they're not ruling anyone out as a suspect." I'll never see him and his sister will never see him again. I'll never have no grandkids from this boy, because nobody would help and listen to us," said Tammy Beltz, child's grandmother.By nobody, she means Dauphin County Children and Youth. She gave CBS 21 News copies of court documents that say on May 7th, she and her daughter filed an emergency petition for custody, because they believed the boy was being beaten and forced to sleep on the floor.
More here: http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story/UPDATE-Grandmother-of-murdered-child-plans-to-sue/Vb84COsV20O4mbqFH7YGyw.cspx

Like most youngsters, three-year-old Jayahn Cox-Phoenix loved SpongeBob SquarePants and trips to Chuck E. Cheese.But his parents were involved in a custody dispute. There was no formal agreement, and each accused the other of child abuse.

Jayahn's mother, Jasmin Cox, denies the allegations and believes Jayahn's father was responsible for his death."I used to always ask Jayahn, 'is Daddy being mean to you? Is Daddy hitting you?' Every time I asked him he would always get quiet," Cox said. "I didn't think he was abusing him to the point he would end up dead."Police said Jayahn's father called 911 on May 21 to report the boy had drowned in the bathtub. The child died four days later, on his third birthday, at Penn State Hershey Medical Center.After reviewing autopsy results, Dauphin County Coroner Graham Hetrick said Jayahn also suffered traumatic brain injuries and ruled his death a homicide.Police have announced no charges and have named no suspects. They said their investigation is ongoing.Cox said she knew Jayahn's death was no accident as she watched over him at the hospital while he was on life support."The way Jayahn's eyes set out, they were black and blue. It looked like he was in a boxing match with somebody," she said.Nearly three weeks before Jayahn's death, Cox said she filed an emergency custody petition because she suspected abuse. She said her request was denied."Every time I told Children and Youth, they said they went out there and there weren't any marks on Jayahn," Cox said."The system failed me. No one wanted to listen to what we had to say," said Tammy Beltz, Jayahn's grandmother.Investigators remain tight-lipped about their homicide investigation. abc27 News reached out to Dauphin County Children and Youth Services, but our calls were not returned. We have not been able to reach Jayahn's father for comment.

The Dauphin County coroner’s office announced Wednesday what Tammy Beltz said she’s known since May 25.
Her grandson Jayahn Cox-Phoenix’s death was a homicide.
The coroner ruled Jayahn, 3, died as a result of freshwater drowning and traumatic brain injury, according to a news release.
Swatara Township police issued a news release stating they were opening an investigation into Jayahn’s death.
Jayahn was found unresponsive in the bathtub of a home in the 3600 block of Chambers Hill Road on May 21, police said.
The district attorney’s office, the police and Dauphin County Children and Youth Services, which was involved in Jayahn’s life, declined further comment. No charges have been filed.
But Beltz, of Harrisburg, is talking. She said she has been even before the day her grandson, who loved walking to the store and afternoons at Chuck E. Cheese’s, died.
Jayahn, she said, was being abused. She had proof, she said, but no one would listen.
“I have 11 grandkids,” Beltz said. “I lost my grandson, and I feel like I failed as a grandmom because I couldn’t protect him.”
Born to Beltz’s daughter, Jasmine Cox, in 2007, Jayahn and Cox lived with Beltz in her Crescent Street home.
Stephen S. Dixon, Jayhan’s father, didn’t care for him until January, Beltz said. Initially, Beltz said, her daughter allowed Dixon to care for the boy on weekends. On March 21, Beltz said, Dixon took Jayahn and then refused to return him when the weekend was over.
Beltz and her daughter called police, but were told that with no formal custody arrangement and Dixon’s acknowledged paternity, there was nothing they could do.
Two days later, according to court documents provided by Beltz, Dixon lodged a child-abuse complaint against Cox with Dauphin County Children and Youth’s Childline. Those allegations were unfounded, Beltz said.
Throughout April, Cox and Beltz attempted to contact Jayahn and Dixon.
Those calls, Beltz said, either went unanswered, were blocked or answered evasively.
Beltz made several calls to CYS after reports from other family members and friends told her that Jayahn was being abused.
She said she never heard back from CYS on the findings of her family’s allegations.
“They never came out, never invited us to a safety plan meeting, nothing,” Beltz said.
In a last-ditch effort, Beltz went to Dixon’s home to try to get Jayahn back. The police were called, she said, and refused to let her take Jayahn.
Beltz called CYS during the incident to plead her case one more time, she said. She said she was told to stop bothering caseworkers with unfounded allegations.
The next day, May 7, Cox filed a handwritten petition for emergency custody.
“I also reported to Children and Youth about my son being beat,” she wrote. “I haven’t seen or talked to my son in over two months now. Every time I call and ask to speak to my son, he’s either asleep, not there, just left or half the time they don’t even pick up.”
On May 11, Judge Andrew Dowling denied the petition, saying the court “failed to see sufficient allegations of conditions or facts.”
Eleven days later, Jayahn was hospitalized.
A cell phone number for Dixon was disconnected.
A woman who answered the phone at another number, which Dixon had given in court papers, said Dixon would not be speaking to a reporter about his son’s death and told a reporter to never call her home again.
Beltz and her daughter are grappling with the loss. When she misses her grandson, Beltz plays the message Jayahn left on her phone in one of his last calls, about three days before his father took custody of him. It’s all she has left of him, she said.
“Why nanna not answering phone?” his baby voice asks his mother. Then the line goes quiet.

http://www.fox43.com/news/wpmt-death-ruled-homicide-3-year-old-boy,0,2627573.story
Multimedia Journalist
6:29 p.m. EST, March 11, 2011



SWATARA TOWNSHIP, DAUPHIN COUNTY— Police have charged a Dauphin County father with killing his 3-year-old son.

Prosecutors said Friday Stephen Samuel Dixon has been charged with criminal homicide in the death of Jayahn Cox-Phoenix
The boy was found unresponsive in a bathtub in Swatara Township on May 21, 2010.

Cox-Phoenix died in the hospital on May 25, his third birthday.

Dauphin Count y District Attorney Ed Marsico said an autopsy revealed the toddler died of a combination of drowning and traumatic brain injury.

The boy's mother said she and her family suspected Dixon was abusing the child weeks before his death.

The family's attorney said they reported their suspicions to Dauphin County Children and Youth Services.

"We don't want to file a civil suit," attorney Benjamin Andreozzi said. "We want an explanation for what happened."

"When that evaluation was done in this case, we did not believe that there was any dropping of the ball or anything like that on behalf of children and youth," Dauphin County Chief Deputy District Attorney Sean McCormack said.

Cox-Phoenix's death was ruled a homicide in September.

Dixon is being held without bail in the Dauphin County Prison

Stephen Dixon, charged with killing son, sentenced 4-8 years

Reported by: Brandie Meng
Published: 11/08 4:35 pm
Updated: 11/08 5:51 pm

Jasmine Cox, the mother of a young child who was killed by his father was in court today for his sentencing. She still doesn't think the truth is out about what happened. "I didn't look at him, I don't believe him. He can't bring him back."

Cox is little Jayahn's mother, she still maintains that Stephen Dixon isn't telling the truth about what happened back in May 2010 to their son.

Stephen Dixon, told the judge Thursday, he takes responsibility for his son's death but says it was an accident. Dixon told the judge he left his son alone while the bathtub was filling up and his son drowned.

But the prosecution and Jasmine believe something else happened.

Deputy District Attorney, Sean McCormack says the drowning was used to cover up what actually happened. "Jayahn wet himself, and the defendant got upset. He broke the spinal cord, instantly paralyzing him and Stephen then tried to cover it up by putting his son in the bathtub."

Dixon pleaded no contest to the charge for aggravated assault and involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 4 to 8 years in state prison.
A sentence that did not go over well with either side of the family.

Dixon will be credited for the 20 months of time he has already served.

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What horrible story and a tragedy that the monster abusive father got such a light sentence. This baby did not receive justice. I feel so badly for the mother and grandmother. It sounds like they tried to get help for the boy but CPS dropped the ball. The father should have gotten life. It's obvious that it wasn't just a drowning as there was brain damage.