In Wake of Grisly Murder of Camden Toddler, Advocates Seek To Learn
By David Madden
CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) -- There are still many questions regarding the murder early yesterday morning of a two-year-old Camden boy, followed by the suicide of his mother (see related story).
But a child advocacy group suggests the tragedy could provide some lessons going forward.
We may never know what drove Chevonne Thomas to kill Zahree, then take her own life. New Jersey's Division of Children and Families is investigating what happened.
Now, an independent group -- Advocates for Children of New Jersey -- hopes the state releases any and all results of their probe.
"The best that can come out of this is that we learn from what was done and, if all protocols were followed, what might need to be changed so that something like this would not happen again," says assistant director Mary Coogan.
Chevonne's mental health and drug abuse prompted the state to place Zahree with relatives until a court order last April. Treatment and counseling followed for all involved.
Coogan wonders, could a two-year-old be safely cared for by someone with those issues? And should this case have been more closely monitored?
