Mother arrested in son's death

POLICE FIND EVIDENCE BOY WAS TORTURED

By Karl Fischer
October 31, 2006

MediaNews

Detectives investigating the death of an 8-year-old boy say his mother probably tortured him for more than a year in a dark dungeon of a bedroom before he swallowed household cleaner last week and died.

Richmond detectives arrested Teresa Moses, 23, on suspicion of murder, torture and child endangerment Friday night after staff at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center called police about the death.

Welts and bruises in various stages of healing covered Raijon Daniels' body. The injuries, officials said, told a long story of abuse: rope marks on his limbs, chemical burns, bed sores.

Moses' 3-year-old daughter is in protective custody and does not appear to have been a victim of abuse, police said.

Reports of Raijon's problems at home had crossed the desks of social workers at Contra Costa's Children & Family Services at least three times since May 2005, records show. In each case, he went home to his mother.

``It's just horrific what this child went through,'' Richmond police Lt. Mark Gagan said Monday.

The Contra Costa County Coroner's Office has not yet determined what killed Raijon. Regardless, police allege that Moses' actions Friday directly led to an excruciating death.

``It appears he was held hostage in the residence to prevent his escape,'' Richmond homicide detective Eric Smith said Monday. ``This kid was treated worse than a dog.''

Duct tape secured Raijon's sheets and covers to his bed when officers entered the apartment Friday. His window was locked, his door had a lock on the outside. The only other furniture in the room was a small table, where a camera for a baby monitor sat.

Raijon spent much of his time locked in the bedroom, watched through the monitor by his mother, police said.

``He was allowed one bathroom break at night,'' Smith said.

Raijon apparently frequently went to the bathroom on himself and in his room, detective Sgt. Mitch Peixoto said. His mother viewed the behavior as resistance.

``She said whenever she would get back from work, he would defecate on himself. She thought he was doing mind games with her,'' Peixoto said. ``I think he did it because he was scared whenever she came home.''

Pine-scented fumes greeted police at the apartment Friday.

``When I entered the apartment, it literally burned my eyes,'' Richmond police Lt. Enos Johnson said. ``It was horrifying to think that a child lived in that environment.''

Moses told detectives Friday night that she had poured the caustic contents of one container on her son's genitals earlier in the day to discourage him from urinating on himself.

Investigators found vomit and empty containers of cleanser in the bathroom and in Raijon's bedroom. They also found Raijon's dinner: a pile of brown goo, which Moses told police was beans and spaghetti, in a blender and in a cup.

She told police Raijon could not have solid food because he threw it. Soon after 5 p.m., after serving Raijon dinner and locking him in his bedroom, Peixoto said, Moses noticed on the baby monitor that Raijon had sat up and was ``doing a Stevie Wonder,'' in her words. When she went to check on him, she found him frothing at the mouth and unresponsive.

Moses called 911 about 5:15 p.m. Friday.

While police never previously arrested Moses, they encountered Raijon several times since May 2005. Each encounter resulted in a referral to county Children & Family Services.

``Whenever we hear about anything like this, it hurts us to our core,'' said Lynn Yaney, spokeswoman for the agency. ``But because of confidentiality laws, we can't discuss anything about specific cases.''

In March 2005, Moses called Richmond police to report her suspicion that a former family member had molested Raijon. Detectives investigated but found no evidence.

In April and May 2005, Moses sent letters to King Elementary School, which Raijon attended at the time, complaining that he received cafeteria lunches. She wrote in April that Raijon had a special diet and asked that he not get food.

The same month, the West Contra Costa school district contacted Children & Family Services with concerns about Raijon's behavior and diet, police sources said. A social worker investigated by phone but took no action.

In July 2005, a patron of a fast-food restaurant in San Pablo called police because a boy had been playing unattended there for two hours. Records show Raijon told the officer he ran away from home because his babysitter used handcuffs on him.

The officer saw no injuries on Raijon, and he denied that his mother abused him, police said, so the officer took him home to his mother. The officer wrote a report, which he forwarded to Children & Family Services for investigation. A social worker again completed a phone investigation without action, police said.

Raijon again ran away Nov. 23, 2005, records show, by jumping from the window of his second-floor apartment. His mother reported him missing. Police found him walking near Hilltop Mall. Officers brought him home and spoke to Moses, this time recording signs that all was not well.

The family regularly attended church on Sundays, and most neighbors agreed nothing seemed to be amiss, other than they kept to themselves.

``It's a sad story,'' said Ebenezer Amissah, Moses' neighbor across the hall. ``Other than the mother seeming a little weird to me, nothing seemed wrong.''