XZAVIAN KNIGHT - 16 Months (2010) - New Ellenton (SW of Columbia) SC

A 51-year-old in-home childcare worker charged with homicide by child abuse for the Aug. 6 death of a 16-month-old in her care was denied bond in a hearing at the Aiken County detention center on Friday morning.

Elouise Wade-Meria Taylor, of 53 Saint Johns Church Road, was arrested at her residence on Thursday by South Carolina Law Enforcement Division agents and charged for her role in the death of 16-month-old Xzavian Knight of Jewel Street in New Ellenton.
Taylor, who has been running an in-home childcare center in her home since 1999, allegedly shook the child, causing head trauma, while at her home on Aug. 5 of this year, according to the SLED warrant. The warrant stated, "It is believed that the defendant did commit the crime of homicide by child abuse by impact/shaking to the victim resulting in his death on Aug. 6, 2010. Based on the opinion of a medical professional, this victim received the fatal injuries prior to the victim's mother picking victim up from the defendant's day care on Aug. 5, 2010."
Aiken County Coroner Tim Carlton said that the investigation was handed over to SLED by New Ellenton authorities, and the coroner's office became involved once the child was deceased.
The child was taken to the Medical College of Georgia after being picked up from the day care on Aug. 5, Carlton said.
"He had some bleeding in the brain, some bruising, some skull fractures and some retinal hemorrhaging that's consistent sometimes with Shaken Baby Syndrome," Carlton said. "We got involved because the baby's physical condition at the time that it was taken to MCG and taken to Pediatric ICU, the child was not going to recover from its injuries."
The child's family made the determination to sign a Do Not Resuscitate order, if necessary.
The child was pronounced dead at MCG at 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 6. The official cause of death, Carlton said, was closed head injury.
Through SLED's discussions with a pediatric neurologist, Carlton said, a window of time was determined regarding when the injuries occurred, and the window given put the child in Taylor's care at the time the injuries were incurred.
Leigh Bolick, director of child care services with the South Carolina Department of Social Services, said that Taylor was registered as an in-home day care provider and was permitted to care for up to six children at one time. DSS is only permitted to visit the home of the childcare provider if a complaint is filed, Bolick said.
DSS had never received a complaint about Taylor in the 11 years that she has been registered as an in-home day care provider.
The complaint regarding the 16-month-old came after the Aug. 5 incident, Bolick said.
The laws surrounding the type of childcare that Taylor ran requires a background check and completion of a paper registration process filed with DSS and renewed annually, Bolick said.
The background check involves fingerprinting, child abuse and neglect registry checks and sex offender registry checks, Bolick said. The regulations also require that anyone who lives in the home in which the children are cared for who is over 15 must pass a background check and be authorized, as well. Bolick said that Taylor listed only herself and her husband as authorized caregivers in the house, and Taylor's husband also passed the background checks.
While Bolick said it is her understanding that the SLED investigation found that she was caring for nine children in her home at the time of the incident rather than the permitted six, there were only six children in the house when DSS conducted its investigation. Bolick said that DSS cited Taylor with being overenrolled and for having an unauthorized caregiver in the home, though it is unclear who the unauthorized caregiver was, and whether he or she was involved at the time that the child was injured.
Taylor was returned to the Aiken County detention center after her Friday morning bond hearing before a magistrate judge. She has the option of appearing in the Second Judicial Circuit Court's General Sessions to request bond.

Bond set at $150K in baby's murder case
Oct. 21--Circuit court judge Jack Early set bond Wednesday at $150,000 for a woman charged in connection with the August death of a child at her in-home daycare.

Elouise Wade-Meria Taylor, 51, of 53 Saint John's Church Road, is charged with homicide by child abuse for the Aug. 6 death of 16-month-old Xzavian Knight, of Jewel Street in New Ellenton.

Prosecutors say the child was shaken and had "impact" head injuries that he likely received when he was punched and/or slammed down.

A neurosurgeon assisting the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division with its investigation reportedly found that the child's death was the result of the abuse, which the doctor stated occurred while he was under Taylor's supervision.

A Michigan forensic radiologist is also reviewing those medical findings for state agents. The radiologist will study the child's X-rays, officials said.

The radiologist's findings are expected to confirm the results documented by the neurosurgeon, agents said.

Those reports are expected within two to three weeks.

Early stipulated that Taylor could appeal the bond pending the findings of the forensic radiologist's review of the X-rays.

http://www.allbusiness.com/crime-law-enforcement-corrections/criminal-offenses-crimes/15224385-1.html