Mother Burns Child on Hot Stove: Believed to Be Deliberate
Summary:
Paragraphs six through ten read: "Now all five of their children are in the custody of Child Protective Services. Thomlin says she put 1-year-old Zoie on the stove to feed her rice."
"She turned her attention away and that's when she says Zoie fell back, turning on one of the burners. She took a picture on her cell phone after seeing Zoie sit up for the first time - seconds before she fell back."
" 'Actually it is proof that the burner was off. If you look in the background of the picture, there's no, the lights off. The burners are not on. None of the burners are on'."
"Thomlin said she had been taking prescription drugs at the time of the incident."
" "Just my medication. I take medicine for depression, ADD, and anxiety'."
Newport News mother loses custody of children after 1-year-old found burned
WTKR-TV3
6:50 PM EDT, May 6, 2010
Newport News, Va. - Justin Jones, age 28, is listed on Virginia's online Sex Offender Registry. He was put there two years ago after he committed "sexual battery by sexually abusing a minor against her will by force, threat, or intimidation with the victim being 13 or 14 years of age."
"I was there when he got arrested for that and it was a misunderstanding, that what happened did not happen," said Julia Thomlin, Jones's girlfriend.
"He was tickling her, the girl, and she said that he grabbed her and he didn't because I was standing right there," Thomlin said.
Julia Thomlin says she does not believe her boyfriend, Justin Jones, is a sex offender.
"No, I've been with him for eight years. There's no way. I mean, I question my daughter everyday anyway."
Now all five of their children are in the custody of Child Protective Services. Thomlin says she put 1-year-old Zoie on the stove to feed her rice.
She turned her attention away and that's when she says Zoie fell back, turning on one of the burners. She took a picture on her cell phone after seeing Zoie sit up for the first time - seconds before she fell back.
"Actually it is proof that the burner was off. If you look in the background of the picture, there's no, the lights off. The burners are not on. None of the burners are on."
Thomlin said she had been taking prescription drugs at the time of the incident.
"Just my medication. I take medicine for depression, ADD, and anxiety."
For now, Jones is in jail with no bond and Thomlin is trying to put their life back together.
"I wish this was all just a dream, I wish this all was a dream. I just want my kids back