Faith Finley's death (murder) at Parmadale Family Services has not led to charges nearly 8 months later

Submitted by Quest-News-Serv... on Thu, 07/16/2009 - 00:27.

Courtesy of Faith Finley's familyFaith Finley, right, poses with her twin, Jordan, in April 2008. Faith died in December at Parmadale, a home for youth with behavior problems. Her mother, Antionette Finley, said the way to tell the girls apart was to know that Jordan always wore lipstick and Faith wore clear gloss.

 

Faith Finley's death at Parmadale Family Services has not led to charges nearly 8 months later

Posted by rdissell [at] plaind [dot] com July 15, 2009 19:36PM

Courtesy of Faith Finley's familyFaith Finley, right, poses with her twin, Jordan, in April 2008. Faith died in December at Parmadale, a home for youth with behavior problems. Her mother, Antionette Finley, said the way to tell the girls apart was to know that Jordan always wore lipstick and Faith wore clear gloss.

Pictures taken by the Cuyahoga County coroner's office show Faith Finley's body sprawled on grungy linoleum at Parmadale Family Services, her baby-blue hooded sweatshirt dappled with vomit.

The photos show Faith's face, her eyes still slightly open, the skin of her hand already turning blue. Those pictures of Faith's body were taken in December after she died while being restrained by the center's staff.

Nearly eight months later, Faith's family is waiting to find out if anyone is going to be held responsible for the 17-year-old's death, which the coroner ruled a homicide.

A Parma police investigation was finished months ago and turned over to county prosecutors.

The coroner's investigation, also completed, raised questions about the version of events given by Parmadale staff. So did a sworn statement by a 12-year-old witness who apparently was not, at least initially, questioned by authorities.

"They have had plenty of time to investigate," said Jill Flagg, attorney for Faith's mother. "As a lawyer who practices criminal law on a regular basis, I believe there is evidence of wrongdoing that the prosecutor should present to a grand jury."

Prosecutor's office spokesman Ryan Miday said the Finley case is very complex.

"This office takes all homicide cases seriously," Miday said Monday in an e-mail. "A team of experienced homicide prosecutors has been independently reviewing this matter. That review is nearing its completion."

Antionette Finley, Faith's mother, is demanding answers and wants prosecutors to explain to her what is going on. They have not returned calls to her or her lawyer.

"Something must be done," Finley said. "I just feel like they are ignoring Faith's death, like she was nothing more than an ant squashed under someone's shoe."

A coroner's report, completed shortly after Faith died, noted that members of the Parmadale staff were giving inconsistent stories about how and when Faith stopped breathing. Coroner's investigators would not even pinpoint when Faith was last seen alive.

Parmadale staff told a 9-1-1 dispatcher that Faith had been breathing shallowly for about 20 minutes before becoming unresponsive. An ambulance arrived within minutes of the call.

But emergency workers noted Faith was already cold to the touch when they arrived, according to the coroner investigator's report, which included the photos.

 

Stories about how Faith was restrained before dying also differ. Staff told the coroner's office that they held Faith down by her legs, arms and shoulders.

Coroner Frank Miller ruled in January that Faith died from "near traumatic asphyxia," which means there was compression on her abdomen and that she also choked on her vomit while being restrained.

At least one youth, who was a roommate of Faith's, said staff sat on Faith's stomach, chest and legs, according to a transcript of a sworn interview between the 12-year-old and an attorney hired by Faith's mother.

Flagg said in January or February she sent a transcript of her interview with the girl to Parma police and the prosecutor's office when she found out they had not questioned the child.

The girl told her that Parmadale staff ushered them into a recreation room and closed the door when police arrived. Flagg does not know if anyone ever contacted or interviewed the girl after she sent her interview to police and prosecutors.

Flagg said she independently sought out accounts of what happened the day Faith died, while researching for a civil lawsuit against Parmadale and the parties involved. Parmadale is run by Catholic Charities.

According to a transcript of the 12-year-old's interview, the confrontation between Faith and Parmadale workers began after they took a CD player away from Faith and she swore at one of the workers.

The girl, who was upset and crying during the interview, said Faith was telling the staff who were restraining her that she couldn't breathe. One of the workers told Faith to "shut up because if she couldn't breathe she wouldn't be talking," the girl said.

The child, who said she was watching in the hallway, said Faith told them seven to eight more times that she could not breathe. And after a little bit, she got quiet, stopped talking.

The girl said the staff then ushered the girls who had been nearby downstairs. The girl said that about 20 or 30 minutes later, she went upstairs to use the bathroom and saw Faith still on the floor.

"But this time her lips were blue," the girl said, and a staff member was dozing in a nearby chair. She said another Parmadale resident came upstairs and started screaming for a nurse when she saw Faith.

Parmadale later fired three workers involved in the restraint.

Tears dampen Antionette Finley's eyes when she sorts through photos of her daughter -- the coroner's pictures along with pictures of Faith and her twin sister, Jordan, as impish toddlers making faces at each other, dressed up in matching Halloween costumes and later as teens.

She said it is for Jordan that she needs to find out why no one has been punished. "I can't help but think that if Faith had blond hair and blue eyes . . . that something would have been done about it by now," Finley said.

This past Sunday, the Finleys spent what was supposed to be a blowout celebration of the twins' 18th birthday at a cemetery in Warren. They brought a birthday cake, Faith's favorite stuffed poodle, named Fifi, and a pair of cowboy boots stitched with pink flowers that Faith adored.

"All I want is for the women who did this to have some sort of consequence," Finley said.
 

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COMMENTS (15)Post a comment
Posted by leftcoast1 on 07/15/09 at 8:05PM

It would be nice to know what actually went down that day and who is responsible for this death. If the emergency workers statements are contradictory to what the staff has said there needs to be a very close look at this case.

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Posted by kobeismvp on 07/15/09 at 8:43PM

How about this novel idea? Raise your thug kids so that they don't end up in a facility...

Posted by carguy1 on 07/15/09 at 9:08PM

" said Jill Flagg, attorney for Faith's mother "

Ahhhhh the now caring mother... the mother who now sees dollar signs with her mouthpiece lawyer, who surely has promised the loving mother big money for the so called wrongdoings.

A child's death is very sad and unfortunate, but as I recall from the original story, that this was far from a child, but a strong, and physically assaultive yyoung woman, who chose her own demise by her animalistic actions.

Posted by Besharet on 07/15/09 at 9:10PM

a child murdered by a gang of adults ... and the cuyahoga county prosecutor, after all this time, still can't figure out what to do ... here's a hint, kid: present it to the grand jury. and apologize for treating a homicide victim like a dishrag ... if it were your kid, i think those dickheads at parmadale would be in prison right now.

Posted by scott1956 on 07/15/09 at 9:12PM

I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WE KILLED MY CHILD WHY SO LONG

Posted by fightin4life on 07/15/09 at 9:20PM

Posted by kobeismvp on 07/15/09 at 8:43PM

How about this novel idea? Raise your thug kids so that they don't end up in a facility...

Gee that's a GREAT idea, given your logic they deserve to die in a facility if the parent fails at parenting!!

Posted by piefacedman on 07/15/09 at 9:37PM

It is sad but one who is in this place has behavioral issues. These little 'girls' are sometimes raised like little pit bulls by their parents. They are taught to fight and mouth off. It can be hard to restrain somebody biting and kicking and gouging at your eyes. This was indeed overboard.

I bet money she was probably one of those 'you ain't my daddy you can't tell me what to do' kids. They seem more common nowadays. 17 is too young to die, some people can change their behavior radically from 17 to 25. I think staff should make life a living hell in their for kids so they don't want to come back. But this is clearly a case of incompetence on the staffs part.

Although I feel some of these so called 'kids' need a beating, they shouldn't be beat to death.

Posted by chumpky on 07/15/09 at 9:57PM

Want to know the truth, NO ONE AT THE STATE LEVEL CARES ABOUT THE MANSLATER OF THIS CHILD!!!!!! There should be three people heading for prison for at least 10 years. Because she was in custody her humanity was taken away from her and those responsible will NOT BE HELD TO ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS STATE SANCTIONED MURDER!!!

Posted by inallmyglory on 07/15/09 at 10:21PM

I understand that a thourough investigation takes time. If the report has been completed and sent to the prosecutor, what's the hold up?

Posted by sagespeak on 07/15/09 at 10:25PM

The best way to deep six a criminal case is to hire a civil attorney. The jury is almost always turned off by the inevitable question that is asked in cross examination: "You plan to sue for millions don't you?"

Posted by lakewood216 on 07/15/09 at 10:55PM

Yep, the far-right crowd is back, using racist code (and out and out racism) to defend the death of Faith Finley. They wouldn't be out in force if she was a white girl from the outer 'burbs, even if she had the same kind of behavioral problems. That's because black children are putrid scum to the cleveland.com far-right crowd who should give thanks that they're allowed to breathe air.

Posted by kmark92s on 07/15/09 at 10:55PM

It is too easy to assume that this child was a thug. We don't have any idea why she was placed in Parmadale. We don't know about the circumstances that led to her inappropriate behavior. We do know that she was placed there for intervention, not a death sentence. If the workers were responsible for her death, than they should be charged with a crime.

We need to stop blaming the victim and try to get to the bottom of this.

Posted by lakewood216 on 07/15/09 at 10:56PM

Yep, the far-right crowd is back, using racist code (and out and out racism) to defend the death of Faith Finley. They wouldn't be out in force if she was a white girl from the outer 'burbs, even if she had the same kind of behavioral problems. That's because, per the cleveland.com far-right crowd, black children are putrid scum who should give thanks that they're allowed to breathe air.

Posted by ruxpeerenced on 07/16/09 at 12:36AM

Posted by kobeismvp on 07/15/09 at 8:43PM
How about this novel idea? Raise your thug kids so that they don't end up in a facility...

I'm not gonna bag on you its too easy..can you elaborate on what its like being perfect. I'm not.

Thankfully my son is a good student and a good kid. But regardless of any circumstance If something happened to him while he was in the care of anyone especially the State I damn well have the right to know what happened
I know you don't have kids cause someone with children would never feel like.And please remember all this bad karma you're building up when your mother kicks you out of her basement

Posted by ruxpeerenced on 07/16/09 at 12:36AM

Posted by kobeismvp on 07/15/09 at 8:43PM
How about this novel idea? Raise your thug kids so that they don't end up in a facility...

I'm not gonna bag on you its too easy..can you elaborate on what its like being perfect. I'm not.

Thankfully my son is a good student and a good kid. But regardless of any circumstance If something happened to him while he was in the care of anyone especially the State I damn well have the right to know what happened
I know you don't have kids cause someone with children would never feel like.And please remember all this bad karma you're building up when your mother kicks you out of her basement

 
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just too hateful

 I was going to comment in the peedee to this story yesterday, but the already posted comments were just too hateful.

I worked PD juvi a decade ago, i litigated their misdemeanor docket, so I handled mostly domestic violence cases. These were often situations where the parent(s) had been beating the kid all their lives and at some Xteen age, the kid finally got fed up and fought back. Lacking a "better" alternative, the police would lock up the kid in juvi.

I had several cases where the parents were clearly the ones needing correction, but it was county policy then (unwritten?) if a child had a case in juvi, they would not open or investigate a complaint of abuse (can I tell you how many 696-KIDS calls I made?).

One case was so severe, a 15yo girl had been beaten by her mother in a hospital corridor, security guards as witnesses and in a separate occasion in the middle of the street, neighbors as witnesses. She, the child, was adjudicated deliquent and sent off for 3 years. The child had never fought back, but the judge reasoned it was better for her (of course try explaining tHAt to the kid - she was crushed).

My point is, we really don't know why these kids are incarcerated. And I would hope county does not continue to abandon these teens. Who knows, I'm ashamed to say I couldn't take it anymore and it was one of the primary reasons I decided nOt to be a lawyer. I went and taught art to old folks instead.

Sad reminder

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