missing baby
mom/murder victim
DPD searches for 4-month old girl snatched from courtroom - Detroit Crime | Examiner.com
The drama that began when a Dearborn man shot his girlfriend, then was absolved by the prosecutor who found the shooting to be in self-defense, continued at a custody hearing Thursday in Juvenile Court. The dead girlfriend's relatives were not pleased with the prosecutor, and promised a fight over custody of the couple's baby girl. And fight they did.
But when the pushing and shoving and shouting were quelled, and the judge awarded full custody of the infant to Daniels, the baby was no longer in the courtroom.
The story began on August 12, when Damien Daniels , 27, called the Dearborn Police and admitted he had shot girlfriend Ebony Gaines. Gaines was found shot inside the rented house they shared, and was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Daniels was arrested. The couple's baby girl. Evelyn Baley Daniels was also taken to the police station and put in the temporary custody of Gaines' relative.
Then came the blockbuster ruling from Kym Worthy's office- prosecutors had reviewed the facts and evidence and ruled that Daniels had shot Gaines in self defense and no charges would be filed against him. He was released from jail, a free man. His first thought was to regain full custody of Evelyn.
One of Gaine's relatives, Alethia, claims she brought the infant to the Thursday hearing. Then came the loud, pushy. confrontation between the families. Afterward when the judge ruled that Daniels would get full custody of Evelyn, he asked that the infant be turned over to Daniels. But Alethia said the infant went missing during the brawling.
At, first, many in the courtroom thought that a court officer had taken the baby outside the room for her own safety, but that turned out not to be the case.
Daniels is convinced the baby was whisked out of court by one of Gaines' relatives during the fight. Gaines' familly members accuse Daniels of taking the child, Frankly, that makes no sense because Daniels, as surviving parent, had a virtual lock on custody.
The DPD continues its search for the child.