Jennifer Franks Pleads In Toddler’s Death
In Supreme Court this afternoon [Oct 15], Ms Jennifer Franks, 57, pleaded not guilty to manslaughter, but pleaded guilty to three counts of unlawfully endangering children to danger that could cause permanent injury.
She had been charged with causing the death of 18-month-old Nasir Burgess.
Required to render the facts to the seven men five woman jury, Crown Prosecutor Carrington Mahoney told the jury that on 9th September 2011, Ms Franks was operating a day care centre at her residence in Pembroke.
He told the jury that she put the children in playpens in a room. Nasir was close to and within reach of an airconditioner power cord. Around 12:55pm, she left her residence to drive to Medical House to collect her daughter.
On returning home she checked the room. She found Nasir with a power cord around his neck and lying in an unresponsive state. She first tried resuscitation.
Around 1:42pm she called 911 and requested the ambulance. Reckoning that the ambulance was taking too long, she put the child in her car and drove to KEMH. On the way to KEMH she saw the child’s mother and took her along with her to the hospital.
At the hospital, shortly after arrival, Nasir was declared dead by a doctor.
Justice Greaves noted the Crown’s request for a custodial sentence and that Ms Franks should be remanded into custody; but Justice Greaves agreed with defence lawyer Saul Froomkin’s request that, for the time being, Ms Franks should remain free on bail until sentenced.
Justice Greaves ordered a Social Inquiry Report and that Ms Franks should re-appear for Mention on 1st December unless an earlier sentencing date was agreed.
The first charge of manslaughter will not be proceeded with and will ‘lie on file’, while the charges she pleaded guilty to carry a maximum penalty of three years in jail.
Well good thing you didnt text anyone and threaten to leave the helpless children home alone, that carries a maximum fine of up to 7 years you know. You can’t leave children in a play pen and expect them not to get out…you lock them in the car with the windows up, duhh…and we wonder why…
How often did she leave those babies by themselves to pick her “grown” daughter up from work ? I’ll bet it wasn’t the first time, no way.
Sad all the way round, but yes, lock her up.
I was thinking the same thing
This woman Mrs. Franks has been taking care of children for over 20 + years with a waiting list as long as her arm.
It is extremely sad on both sides to see this happen to both families.
Ask yourself this question; “Have you ever left your children for less than 5 minutes to run in the kitchen or bathroom knowing you will be RIGHT BACK”? YES, you have!! We all have!
Sometimes we take a chance and NO it shouldn’t be done but hind sight is always 20/20!
A very sad day for the Burgess and Franks family.
Signed ” A family member for the BURGESS/FRANKS Family….
Going into another room in your own home is drastically different than leaving 3 children under the age of 2 home alone.
We can tell by your ridiculous logic that you are family. Stop making excuses. What she did was absolutely stupid, irresponsible and reckless and resulted in the death of a baby!
DON’T JUDGE!!!!!! Hell if that was one of mine. She would have the same cord around her damn neck!!!!!!
I agree!! This is so sad.. Can you imagine the look on that helpless child’s face as they chocked them self to death!!
5 minutes to o to the bathroom is very different than leaving the house to pick someone up!!!! Stop making excuses,
It’s sad for everyone involved but those babies had no choice, she did
The bathroom is a far cry from down de road! I can hear a problem from happening from my bathroom!!!!
hindsight 20/20 please – no one in their right mind leaves a child/children on their own with hazards around – she didn’t turn her back – she left the premises!!! particularly someone running a nursery who is in a position of care and trust!! a tragedy which could have been avoided – sheer negligence!
i was thinking the same damn thing. family or not family..whats wrong is wrong. stop making excuses for negligence.
@Don’t JUDGE!!!: Are you for frigging real??? This was way beyond leaving a child in one room while you go in another. This was leaving helpless infants alone while she left the premises.
Let me ask you this: what if there had been a fire? Those helpless babies would have been trapped in those playpens with no responsible adult around to save them. If she had just gone into another room, she could have possibly came back in time to see what was happening and save him. There’s NO comparison between that and her leaving the premises to pick up her grown azz daughter who should have walked home or caught a bus.
There is NO excuse for what she did-it was irresponsible and just plain stupid so don’t try to justify it.
She’ll go to prison for a few years while this poor child is dead forever…it’s not right. You need to SHUT UP because no-one wants to hear your feeble excuses for this reckless act.
i was about to write the same exact thing @Mayan. @Don’t judge must be out of her friggin mind. I can’t believe someone could possibly justify what this woman did. I don’t damn care if she’s been runnin a nusery for 20+ years. I can just imagine the vast amount if crazy things she’s done in that time. And all she got was 3 years. that is where the injustice lies.
I totally argree with your coment. She was wrong & yes her daughter should found her own trans home she is a grown up what the F.
running to your kitchen or bathroom which is in the house , is a big difference from getting in your car and leaving the premises.
That is no where close to being the same thing. This woman left the house for over an hour, not a room.
Hi speak for yourself!! “WE ALL HAVE?” Sounds like its a family thing??! And We all have not, and u said ur own kids big difference!! This woman was HIRED and PAID to care for these kids and she failed miserably by being half ass and either dumb or not caring. I want to know- How long was that play pen near the cord?? She made sure her grown ass kid got home safe tho didn’t she? @ the expense of this innocent babies life. She needs JAIL!!
No, we should not judge – it could have happened to me with my child.
However, this was not her child, therefore, she should have been even more prudent!!! Some poor mother entrusted her child with this woman.
It seems to me that if it took her almost one hour by the time she left and by the time she called the ambulance, that was slightly too long to leave a child of only 18 months ALONE!!! It is against the law to leave a child alone – period. Therefore, as sad as it is, a child lost his life and someone has to do the time for this.
I ask all of you living on this island. When… and I will say it again…When are we going to start holding people accountable for their actions!? Do you all want to live on an island where just because someone knows someone and that person was a real nice person and I knew his mother etc…etc that means that they can get away with anything and everything!? This goes for all the murders and murderers running around right now as well.
I agree with your comment. its like this some can & some better not.
@don’t judge, maybe she did have a waiting list as long as her arm, but I’ll bet she won’t even have any children let alone a waiting list if parents even thought that she’d leave babies alone to pick her daughter from work. LOCK HER UP!!! Any responsible person knows that you don’t put a baby near any type of cord it tells you that on the package.
I’m not 100% positive because it comes as common sense to me, but I’d almost guarentee you that somewhere on/in/around the play pen and/or box it came in, probably somewhere close to a thing that says important/attention/warning, it says adult supervision required…just a guess though, and I’m pretty sure adult supervision isn’t included in the box.
Neglect.
Sad.
cultrual thing.
Poor child.
TO ALL ~ I am not saying she was not reckless or irresponsible!! Mrs. Franks from the very beginning has taken FULL responsibility which may or may not lead to jail time.
My point is simply this; All of you HIDE behind our names and say she shouldn’t have done this etc while sitting on your darn soap boxes like your so perfect! Before you start belittling anyone take a good look at your own back yard!
YES, she was wrong and made an extremely WORNG decision but last I checked NO ONE is perfect and some of you on here smoke in front of your children, curse in front of them, they have been privy to one or both parents having SEX and let me not forget ABUSE…
But I forgot everyone on here that is posting is completely perfect, has never made a DUMB A** mistake before!
Just because you didn’t get caught or no one DIED doesn’t make it right!!
If u are a familily member then who is wrong? You keep typing Mrs. but the news is printing Ms.
Regardless of the bad habbits any person has or does, the point is, when you do something wrong, you have to pay for it. My assumption is she has left those kids before before and this time the negligence has caused the life of a tottler and the parents as well.
toddler*
I smoke in front off, maybe had sex which my kids heard, or saw, I have definately cursed in front of them!!!! Guess what it might not be right but they are mine and ALIVE!!!!!!!!!
Honey, most people are far from perfect but most people have COMMON SENSE ENOUGH to not leave BABIES home alone! Do you not understand that?
I’m am so sick of people like you who use that “don’t judge others” excuse! Some things are easily forgivable and a mistake-this was sheer stupidity at the HIGHEST level!
@Don’t JUDGE!!!!: You’re obviously ghetto and hang around other ghetto people because the people I know don’t do any of those things. I mean, nothing heightens the mood more than having big-eyed kids watching you have sex, huh?
A TRUE ASS YOU ARE!
…and your name is?
“Your & Wrong” ~ Spelling corrections
I just don’t understand why the prosecution choose to accept her plea on lesser charges. The prosecution should have still gone ahead with the manslaughter charges, and also charge her with negligence for the other two toddlers, that she left behind. Three years? really? Where is the deterrence when she will not do all three years, she will be released by 2014 and out living the good life, her daughter should have also been charged with accessory to child neglect, she knew her mother was “working” take the pink n blue or hitch a cab like everybody else with some sense would have done.
I remember how I felt the day I heard, I remember how I feel every time I see his mom’s face, I know how I feel at this very moment as I read the article sick to my stomach.
All I have to say is if it was one of my children the court room woukd not be where I get my justice!!! THREE YEARS!!! Give me a break! Absolutely crazy! I was having a good day till reading this foolishness!!!
@ DON’T JUDGE: SHE WAS RECKLESS, THERE’S NO OTHER WAY AROUND IT. SHE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WELL BEING OF THE BABY AND SHE DID A RECKLESS THING BY LEAVING THEM ALONE ,ALL BY THEM SELVES. YOU CAN’T SUGAR COAT THE RECKLESS DEATH OF SOMEONE ELSES’ CHILD. SHE’LL NEVER ADMIT THAT THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME SHE’S LEFT THEM ALONE.AND BY THE WAY “DON’T JUDGE” YOU SOUND LIKE YOU’RE JUDGING PEOPLE ON THIS BLOG BECAUSE OF WHAT “THE INFAMOUS BABY SITTER” DID. AT LEAST SHE DIDN’T BLAME THE PARENT FOR THIS,LIKE BETTY DID WITH THE BABY WHOS’ LEG GOT BROKEN. OH,SHE CAN’T BLAME THE PARENT FOR THIS.
SHE PROBABLY PLEADED GUILTY TO THE LESSER SO SHE WOULDN’T DO AS MUCH TIME FOR THE GREATER CHARGE. MURDER!
The New Bermuda. Pre ’98 she would have got ten without a doubt! Too lax on everything!!!
I know Jennifer personally and I also know that she would not hurt anyone, especially a child. she is a loving and caring individual with a very sweet personality. She has been punished already having to relive this incident over in her mind for the rest of her life.
It is time parents of children she has taken care of step and speak for her. Unfortunately young Burgess can not come back but why make a criminal out of someone who doesnt deserve to be incarcerated.
I know of someone who interviewed her for care for a child and they were appalled by her attitude, restrictions and lots more.
She under NO circumstances should have left those children alone period….if she did it once who knows a how many times she’s done this. It was thru a gut feeling that the family decided not to persue her services.
I had the same gut feeling…..
Sigh. So what if she is a nice person? When a child is put into your care and you are being PAID to care for that child(that includes ensuring they stay alive and are away from danger) and you fail to do so – you deserve to be punished. It was her negligence that caused his death, she can relive it over in her mind all she wants. Good. She should.
This probably wasn’t the first time she has done that either, that’s what happens when people get too comfortable-eventually you slip up and things go wrong. No on in there right mind would come to her defense, you seem to be the only one trying to justify this. Would you feel the same if it were your child? How is she supposed to learn and face the consequences for her actions if she isn’t incarcerated? Her own guilty conscience is not enough.
“Who does not deserve to be incarcerated”. r u crazy?. u r saying she would not hurt anyone when its blatant in your face that she did!!! The child is DEAD!!! And its all her fault. someone paid her to look after their child and she left to go on the road. Left the house with babies unattended !. If u ppl feel sorry for her because u know here i can understand. But stop justifying it. its like rubbing salt in the wounds of the parents and love ones of these children. especially the child that died. please have some respect for those in mourning!
Why would parents of children she has taken care of speak out on her behalf? I’m sure they’re all wondering how many times she left their children at home alone.
this is a very sad and tragic circumstance..I do recall a little girl getting knocked down at a school crossing by a lady who was obviously acceeding the speed limit and not paying attention, that was sad and tragic yet she didn’t get any time and a life was lost…both of these situations were not intended yet there was negligence on both behalf..an accident is never planned and I’m sure no ones character at birth is by their own design, purely genetic innitially and we do live and learn along the way..both of these women won’t forget their negligence and neither should we forget ours..
Since the evidence has be revealed, she did notify her mother that she was stepping out. So why didnt her mother look in on the children?
Young baby Burgess comes from a family that have plenty of christians amongst them, even a few preachers. It will be interesting to see now if they live my the Word of God as it relates to forgiveness or will they focus on revenge.
Let’s be more genuine in our caring and pray for the Burgess family rather then judge them for a crime they did not commit. Put yourself in that situation, christian or not, and I am sure you will say all the right things or actions that you should take, but would your really??? Be more cognisant of reality as it applies to us and not just our neighbor…..
@tibit are you on drugs?! How dare you question what the Burgess family would do based on their faith? That is not your concern or your business!! They are not on trial here. People like yourselves really should think before you type. Your comment is heartless to say the least…let’s see if they can forgive you for your stupidity. I, on the other hand, do not! Such an a$$!!
Yes tidbit, they are christian people but the are also human and have lost a part of their family someone that they loved and cherished who should not have died in this way. This is not about revenge and you do not know what is in their hearts. This trial is about justice for Nasir. Do you know what it is like to watch someone cry for the child they have lost. Their pain comes from the pit of their soul. It is nothing that they will ever get over. Forgiveness comes when someone admits they are wrong. Since you obviuosly do not know Nasir’s family stop making comments about their faith. His mother, father, sister, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins have to get up every day and remember that he is gone and feel that pain
If you unlawfully endanger a person and that person dies, that is Manslaughter.
@ gracious
Please understand that in most civilized countries, the Courts of the Land allow for Plea deals depending on the circumstances.
It saves the tax payer from footing a bill for court proceedings that could run into the thousands of dollars.
Whilst in most cases of a plea deal, the family of the victim will feel that justice has not been served and rightly so.
In the US, Canada and UK murderers will make a plea deal to escape the death sentence, and in most instances the court will sentence them to life without the possibilty of parole.
The sad truth is that child minders are registered with the government, but this registration is almost meaningless as I have heard so many stories of child minders looking after more children than they should – sometimes 5 or 6, with children coming and going throughout the day. I think that action needs to be taken so that registration means that an inspector can check on a child minder at any time, and inform the parents of the results of the visit.
@registration
my question would be why would a parent leave their children with a child minder who has more than the recommended children?!?!?!?
You can not expect government to monitor the premises 24/7!
Parents have to take some blame.
Talk that Talk, I agree with you that parents should take responsibility & do spot checks etc.
Just to clarify – the stories I have heard are about parents being told by the child minder that they look after 3 children, but then the parents find out later that the child minder is looking after more than 3 children.
@Talk that Talk: Unfortunately you have some deceptive child minders out there. I told this story once before on Bernews. I enrolled my three-month-old baby at a home nursery where the lady seemed pleasant and responsible and told me that my baby would be her third child and that was her absolute limit. The woman seemed positively trustworthy, efficient, etc.
Well, on the first day I collected my daughter and when I got home I noted that only one of her diapers was missing from her diaper bag. Then, I noted that she had only used two of the bottles of milk I had sent for her for the day and full ones had been returned. I thought ‘what the hell?’ as I wondered how many times she had been fed and changed and questioned the caregiver about it the next morning. Furthermore, the full bottles weren’t even cold so it seemed liked they hadn’t been refrigerated.
Anyway, she looked stunned when I first mentioned the diaper thing-I guess she didn’t know I counted my baby’s diapers and would notice how many were used. I said that my baby was dry when I picked her up and told her that implied to me that was the only time she had been changed all day. The woman started spluttering that she had used another baby’s diapers which made no sense-why would someone do that? Then I got on about the returned full bottles. She then said she gave my baby formula she had there as she was trying to save me money.
I asked why would she give my baby formula instead of the breastmilk I had pumped-milk that was free, by the way. She then spluttered again saying she didn’t realize my bottles were breastmilk. Now any woman who is a mother herself and a childcare giver knows the difference between breastmilk and formula-they don’t look the same. The whole story didn’t make sense but the woman apologized, chalked it up to her having to get used to my baby and said she would rectify the problems.
I dropped my daughter off the next day but by late morning something kept nagging at me that something wasn’t right. I took an early lunch and headed over to the woman’s house without giving her advance warning. From outside the house I could hear my baby crying. When the woman opened the door and saw me there she was horrified. I looked in and saw there were seven kids in there! My baby was in her bassinet crying weakly and there was a toddler sitting in a highchair with the caregiver holding a bowl where she had obviously been feeding him. This was a kid who looked like he could easily feed himself, while my vulnerable newborn baby was crying and being ignored.
The woman was like she didn’t want to let me in but at this point I was like a madwoman. I pushed my way past her and my poor baby was in her bassinet soaking wet and trembling from the exertion of crying, and her cry was weak and hoarse-like at this point-it was obvious she had been crying from hunger for ages. When I picked her up and talked to her, upon hearing my voice she made a pitiful kind of noise-it was like she was so relieved that her mommy was there to rescue her. I was so furious-I demanded my baby’s things and told the caregiver that I would not be bringing my daughter back and she had better not think I was going to pay her a dime for the day before since she clearly did not take proper care of my child, hadn’t fed her properly, hadn’t changed her and then lied about it. She didn’t even try to argue-she must have seen the murderous rage in my face.
I went and sat in my car and nursed my poor, hungry baby and just had tears running down my cheeks that I had entrusted my poor little girl to that hideous woman. I was so traumatized that I had no choice but to quit my job because I just couldn’t trust anyone else with my baby after that. It was hard because my husband had to get a second job but he agreed that our child’s safety came first. I didn’t send her off to nursery school until she was three and could talk and tell me what was going on when she was away from me.
I know this post is long but I just wanted to say that sometimes parents don’t know certain things because the childminders hide them-some of these childminders seem so respectful and responsible but you never know. If you suspect something is up, follow your gut like I did. Even if you don’t suspect anything bad, you should make random visits-if the childminder has a problem with it, then obviously they have something to hide.
BTW-YES, I did report this woman to the authorities for having more kids under her care than she was licensed to!
@JaciJace–your story really spoke to me…You were absolutely correct to follow your gut, some people ignore that feeling…When people are paid to take care of a child and they neglect that responsibility it is very serious!!I think we understand the fury from a woman scorned is multiplied when someone messes with our babies!!!You seem like a wonderful parent!
When you pay someone to watch ur baby, that’s what they are supposed to do. If someone was watching this baby, this certainly would not have happened. That’s why parents own baby monitors nowadays with video.
I took my child from 3 different caregivers bc I would make unexpected visits and find them doing all sorts of other things. This culminated in me leaving my job and moving in with my parents until my child is old enough to tell me what is going on when I leave them with someone else.
Certainly anyone on this woman’s waiting list would not be if they thought she was leaving babies alone for errands, and this is likely not the first time she has done it.
What if there was a fire? There would be 3 lost lives.
This was not an error in judgement, this was negligence causing homicide. Hold people to their actions. She made a choice to leave them instead of telling her daughter to take a bus, taxi or wait until the parents or another adult could come and watch them. This “accident” could have been easily prevented.
@witheld—-although I agree with mostof what you have said I think it was a bit extreme to leave a job and move in with parents until the children are old enough..really? –whohas the luxury of doing that these days..u r 1 of the fortunate..My point is that most our parents had four or more children, some people have had seven to fourteen children,,most SINGLE parents or mothers mostly raising the children with the help of older siblings,,government doesn’t offer nanny care for people that have more than three children,but they will remove a child they feel is being abused…Babies are very resilient,and most adjust to their circumstance..accidents can happen to the best of us,whether you have three or not ..suppose you have a relative that comes over and happens to leave their children with you, then again where are the watchdogs for all the new policies we put in place?
@witheld–after reading your story again, I do wholeheartedly agree with you! I think you deserve empathy for your situation, as a mother it is difficult to find honest people and we do tend to do whatever is possible to protect our children, I applaud you and hope that child minders will be held to a higher standard of accountability..maybe we should have a watchdog for nurseries, caregivers ect who will randomly show upto make sure things are being fulfilled lawfully..there is not enough protection for our children these days and there are many stories of neglect and recently toomany before the courts..Parents are the ultimate watchogs, however the law should be backed up by folow-up persons who act as watchdogs to the law, making sure regulations are adhered to, by making spotchecks.
Tidbit that is really not fair. I have no doubt and am very certain that the Burgess Family will or have forgiven. However it does not take from the fact that a life has been taken as a result of the negligence, improper care of an infant which was placed in her trust and absolute disregard and selfish actions. Ms Franks obviously had grown very comfortable leaving infant/babies/toddlers unattended and improperly cared for. Such comfort led to the unfortunate lost of an innocence life and she must be held accountable and be charged accordingly for such guilt. Whilst some may sympathize with her poor taste of action we cannot dismiss that a woman of her age and the years of experience must pay and pay heavy.
@ Tidbit and Don’t Judge – she could the nicest person in the world but at the end of the day she should have never left this child unattended. No parent is perfect that is true but I would give my life for my child as I am sure most if not all parents would. She needs to be held accountable for her actions. My kid is my world I live and breathe for him. You can’t replace your kids so I can’t understand how you can say that she is caring and sweet. Caring and sweet won’t bring him back or make the hurt go away. Wake up and lock her up and make her pay for what she did. There is no excuse for being STUPID. This is why people take the law into their own hands.
I forgot you are perfect, you have never made any mistakes and you PAY all your parking tickets! #Stupidity at its Best!
The white womam that knocked over Tyesha Cox NEVER went to jail nor did she give the family a red cent!
It is sad for both the Burgess and the Franks family.
@
As long as Ms. Franks has made her peace with God and accepted her wrong doing, what every one else thinks its useless!
@Judge NOT, I agree with you and I understand your thinking process.
@ Bermy Drew, typical thinking!
You are comparing unpaid parking tickets to leaving a baby home alone who died because he was unsupervised? Now that’s stupidity at its best!
That white woman was vilified as well so what if your point? People were just as outraged.
Really, does it matter that it was a WHITE woman. Not sure race is an issue in the tragic death of a child under those circumstances
Very sad indeed. As a parent of an infant my heart bled and still bleeds for the parents of young Nasir as they have experienced what no parent should. I don’t know Ms Franks, nor do I know the complete facts of the case. I do know that accidents happen and sometimes accidents have tragic circumstances. Should Ms Franks have left the babies at home while she left on an errand… Of course not. Would her being in the house at the time have stopped this poor baby from getting caught in the power cord, probably so because if nothing else it is likely that she wouldve heard him cry or at least struggle. I’m hopeful the facts of the case will be proven, that they are indisputable and that Ms Franks faces a jail term. No less punishment is sufficient. As a human being she will have to live with the outcome of her very poor decision for the rest of her life. Similarly, Nasir’s parents will have a lifetime to be reminded of the child they were unable to raise into adulthood. It is only God’s grace that will get each of them through.
Wow tidbit…the Burgess fam has lost a son, because someone whom they entrusted CHOSE to leave their child unattended….. Having a son of my own, I could not imagine this type of lost…… The fact that you’ve chosen to take this opportunity to point out that his fam are Christians and to judge how they will react is sad…..sad beyond words…. God forbid you would ever have to experience this type of lost and have your fam, Christian or not, being put under a microscope when your fam are the victims.
As for don’t judge….I doubt you would be defending a person that left YOUR child / niece / nephew / baby cousin unattended to pick up their adult child…..
There is so much has been said about how much time that jenifer Franks will get
but let us not forget how the WHITE lady that killed Tyesha Cox served no time.
Personaly speaking I believe she paid off a lot of people in high places to get such a mild punishment.
I an a true believer that the acts of the so called Justice systems has a big effect on Bermuda’s racial problems.
BERMUDIANS both Black and White will be looking at this sentence very very close thus a lot of Racial negetivity will grow or reduce – depending on the outcome.
A power cord within a play pen! AND making the CHOICE to leave the home with babies unattended? Apples & pears & the court system.
It should not come to race,why does this always happen ?
This case is all about the so called care giver, she has a lot to answer to…… so stop playing the race card people…
It shoulda been my kid she wouldn’t even need jail by time I finished wit her a*%. She woulda been underneath my kid
@ Rujoking….I have experienced it
@ Tidbit. You may speak of God and forgiveness but if this was my child I would NEVER forgive this woman. NEVER EVER!!! You say you have experienced it, so what you’re saying is that you also know what it is like to entrust your helpless baby with someone, only to have her leave him alone to strangle to death? She didn’t even check on the children before she left, her mind was on her own grown child and not the babies. I cannot understand how anybody with functioning brain cells can defend this woman. The fact that she is a so called experienced caregiver of over twenty years makes what she did even worse. She should have known under no circumstance do you leave kids alone, much less near dangling cords. He could have even bitten into the cord since small children like to put everything in their mouths. What she did is unforgiveable, and she is clearly unremorseful since she appears to be in totally denial of what she did.
I see people on here talking about how nice of a person Mrs. Franks is. Her personality has nothing to do with the fact that she first of all had a toddler in a play pen with an obvious hazard nearby, and secondly she left the children unattended while she went to pick up her grown daughter. She left at 12:55 and called 911 at 1:42, that’s almost an hour. So, she didn’t check the children before she left and she didn’t check as soon as she got back. Or did she check them as soon as she got back, so it takes that long to drive from Spanish Point to Medical House? There are a lot of questions, and no one may ever know the answers. But the fact remains she is responsible and should be punished.
She was paid to look after people’s children and that’s what they expected her to do. They didn’t pay her to leave their children unattended while she catered to her grown child. I wonder how many times this nice lady left children alone in the past 20 years that she has been a caregiver? Maybe one day Nasir’s family will forgive her, maybe they have already, but I am sure they will never forget…
Well, My child was with Jennifer Franks for a couple of months until she showd me she wasnt watching my child nor taking the time to do as she was supposed to do. At the end of the day,I was picking up my child with a soiled diper, clothes dirty, even when I had to take her to the doctor I found that my child stayed in her pumpkin seat all day when i had given her a playpen and I always sent a packed bag, extra clothing, plenty diapers and formula. For paying $200 a week, my child should have been taken care of better. So I took her out and she was with a baby sitter who was cheaper and i was pleased with all she did. Up till today, she stills takes her daughter (25 plus yrs of age)work and picks her up. She ___ doesnt gver her daughter INDENPENDENCE!!!!! I pray for the family who has to live without the joys of seeing their little one grow.
This woman watched my baby 11 years ago for approximately 2 months and I took him out of her care because on two separate occasions she was out on errands thus leaving my child and two other babies unattended in her home. I confronted her about the situations and she nonchalantly said to me that her mother lives adjacent to her and was listening out for the children.
Ms Franks was a repeated offender of her “running errands” and she should be punished for her irresponsible actions.
I too interviewed with this lady over 20 years ago with regard to placing my child in her care. My husband and I did not like the fact that the children were in playpens/cages for a better part of the day while she cooked, vacuumed and cleaned her spotless house. My husband and I didn’t see the nurturing care that we felt should have been displayed from a care-giver and chose someone else. This unfortunate incident and outcome comes as no surprise. The parents and family of the deceased child have my sincere condolences.
@ Judge Not… I do understand that NOONE is perfect but an innocent child has lost his life. Ms. Franks checked on the children around 12 noon and left 55 minutes later, never checkng them before she left!!! Why not check on them before she left? even tho she should have NEVER left. And she returned 1:42… So she left about 12:55 and returned 1:42… WTH? She did call out to her parents but really she should have made SURE that her parents went inside and sat in that room with those precious children…. It was her responsiblity to keep those children safe…. And yes i do agree that she di not intend for this to happen but Sheesh she should have used her brain… This was really senseless on her part. So yes people are NOT perfect but there is a differece with being perfect and having simple COMMON SENSE… BLess lil Nasir and his Family… May God Dend you peace and Justice…
There is no justice for our children… These heartless people (animals) that hurt our children get off way too easy. Our kids are being sexually , physically , mentally abused and murdered by these animals that get a slap on the wrist. I was most upset with Little Riahanna case when her older lover killed her because she was pregnant. That animal got charged with only 1 murder, what happened to justice for that unborn child. SMH All I’m saying let someone hurt any of the precious beautiful innocent children in my life. They will have the most painful death ever REAL TALK!!!!!n
This is an awful and sad situation, and it doesn’ matter if she is black, white, purple or blue a child lost their life and a family has lost a child in a case of neglect! As a child care provider and mother wouldn’t it be common sense to not leave a child unattended? You cannot compare getting in a car and leaving the premises to using the bathroom. Then to read she has done it before…how could you not think twice! As a mother my heart breaks for this family. I would hope regardless of what sentence she is given no child is ever left in her care again!
As a student studying forensic science and having to understand the law, I do not think it is right that Ms. Franks will serve a maximum of 3 years in jail.
A child is DEAD….. A family, a mother and father have lost their son. She F***** Up BIG TIME… Yes she made a mistake and is not perfect and will have to live with this for the rest of her life but that all does not matter because this beautiful baby boy is DEAD! Now ‘DONT JUDGE’ how can you make this any better. I don’t know Ms. Franks but I know people who do know her and no matter how sorry she is that will never bring this baby boy back to his family. If this happened to your family I can bet you would have a different view. Easy to say what you would or wouldn’t do when it is not your family. May his precious soul RIP and his family find comfort.
carelss negligence
Well tidbit the fact that you have experienced it and yet you still have the audacity to take the spotlight from Jennifer Franks and place it on Nasir’s family makes it that much worse! They are in mourning and cry plenty of tears. When all the hype has died down and ppl forget they will forever wander what Nasir would have been like at 5 yrs old, 10 yrs old, teenager, adult… But since you’ve experienced it, I guess you already know this. Mercy, and yet you still had the nerve to talk about the Burgess family… Sad.. So how about this – stop typing things about the Burgess family and take a moment to reflect on your own bitterness cause that type of comment you made could only have come from a horrible place!
Any concerns about your child minders, the quality of their care and the excess amount of children in their care NEED to please be reported to the Dept of Health at the time! Please… these are all our children. Let’s not wait for an accident to happen before doing it.
First of all, my condolences to the family. My mother-in-law cares for babies. I was out of work for two years. When she had something she absolutely had to do like signing forms at the bank, she would ask me to sit with the babies. But FIRST she would let the parents know that she was leaving them with me. Secondly, she made sure they were all put down for naps (in a safe environment) and gave me complete instructions on what to do if they should wake. Thirdly, she would always check them before she left and fourthly she would always call to see how I was making out, if any of them were awake etc. I tell you, I would have NEVER even stepped outside and I checked on the babies frequently watching their chests go up and down to ensure they were breathing, it was a serious matter to me. She would have NEVER left with me sitting outside on the porch as she took caring for the babies as a serious responsibility. This is such a shame that this happened.
Just going through all the comments I agree with Mayan and Free, as for Don’t Judge, really…. are you serious?? I don’t even know why you’d attempt to justify this. I’d like to add that in the past Ms. Franks did watch my own child for a short period of time. I took my child out of her care because it seemed she had too many other things going on in her life such as another job…I had to be sure my kid was picked up on or before 5:15. I am sure this is not the first time she’s left them alone. I feel sorry for her now because she got caught out and a baby had to lose their life as a result. My heart goes out to the baby’s family.
I haven’t read all the comments ( I was distressed by the hostility) so I am hoping I am not the first one to note that in an earlier story, it was stated that the caregiver’s parents were at the home, and that she notified them that she was leaving the house. So the children were not left alone.
It is very sad, very, very,sad that this happened to that beautiful little boy, but also unfair to throw Ms. Franks completely under the bus. I am not absolving her from responsibility, nor did she hold herself blameless, but the children were not abandoned and left alone, as some have tried to claim.
My deepest sympathies to the parents of the little one. My heart is heavy for both you and Ms. Franks.
@PastorSlyhayward—may I suggest you read a bit more, she shouted out to her parents, we don’t no whether they heard her or not…shouting out to someone to take over your position without making sure they hear you or are actually going to do it is pure neglect..there is no excuse!
My heart hurts so much for Nasir’s parents and family. It has not been easy watching them go thru this. The whole family hurts so much and are still hurting. They are very very close and family means everything to them. The family will not and has not been the same. Celebrating special days are the hardest. Last Christmas the family went thru the motions but tears were the order of the day. Nasir’s Nana, Papa, Granny, Aunties, Cousins, Godparents and Friends. Still can’t believe he is not here with the family. When Nass waved and told his Aunties bye, bye, that morning and they told him they loved him as they waved back. Not once did they ever think they were saying good bye forever. One year has passed and the pain the parents have had to endure last week and this week has not been easy for them. It took them back to the very beginning. I am so glad that they come from family that means everything. Yes they have a few Pastors in their family and yes they have Christians in their families. But the pain is just the same. Nass is a big part of their family and was loved so much by his whole family and is still missed by all of them. Love your family time is too precious.
I think harsh action should be taken against Jennifer. She is absolutely at fault.
I agree that people make mistakes and no one is perfect but leaving a child unattended is not a mistake in my opinion. She PURPOSELY left the premises with full knowledge of the dangers and consequences that could arise. Its not as if the outcome was unforseeable. It was a good move to let her mother know she was leaving but a BAD move not to make sure that her mother was inside watching the children until she returned. This incident was not a mistake but purely thoughtless. I am only 22 and I seem to understand this. Kind person or not, you have to suffer the full consequences. If she is indeed a kind hearted person who is genuinely remorseful (which I am not disputing) than she deserves to be forgiven but in no way should she not be held accountable. As far as her time in jail in concerned, the most she can get incarcerated for is a maximum for involuntary manslaughter.