Tommy James
On April 6, 2018, Mobile Police and Fire-Rescue arrived at the SandpiperTownhomes to find 8-year-old LeBrawn Rankin unresponsive and not breathing. Hisolder sister was giving him CPR, but as authorities examined the boy, theydetermined he had passed. Signs around the boy’s body pointed toward neglect asa key factor in the boy’s death. However, years after that day, police have yetto charge anyone for the boy’s death. The official cause of death includesmalnutrition and dehydration, as well as his cerebral palsy condition.
Since this day, investigators and members of the community have yet to findanswers to their many questions. How did this little boy lose his life? Wasthere anything that could have been done to save his life? Who is responsiblefor this tragedy?
We take a look at what happened to LeBrawn Rankin that fateful day anddiscuss what authorities are doing to find justice for this little boy.
How Did a Little Boy Lose His Life to Neglect?
At Augusta Evans, a public special education school, staff members begannoticing that LeBrawn looked unwell. He had lost weight and had developedsores. This was enough for the school to contact the Alabama Department ofHuman Resources in February 2018. Staffers feared that the boy was beingneglected, but the agency was slow to act.
According to reports, DHR visited LeBrawn in his home 11 days before hisdeath. Investigators said they found no signs of neglect, and let the boyremain in the home. However, when officers arrived at the apartment in April,they reported drastically different conditions. The police found the boy’s bodyon a mattress with no sheets or box spring. There was a dirty diaper on the bedwith the boy’s body, and the floor was covered in dirty clothes and food boxes.The room reportedly smelled of urine.
The boy was emaciated, had bones protruding and was wearing a dirty diaper.The 8-year-old weighed only 23 pounds when authorities found his body. Policesecured the scene and treated the death as a homicide due to the conditionsthey saw.
Who Is Responsible for the Death of LeBrawn Rankin?
In an interview with NBC 15, Chief Lawrence Battiste acknowledged that sometimesthe police arrive too late to help. However, given the alarms raised byLeBrawn’s teachers, should help have come sooner? Mobile District AttorneyAshley Rich is continuing to investigate LeBrawn’s death as a criminal case, but heroffice is not the only authority seeking justice.
Here at Tommy James Law, we are also investigating this matter. We are apart of a civil lawsuit seeking answers and justice for LeBrawn. Wewill not rest until someone has answered for the negligence in this case.
“This innocent child is dead because the people at DHR did not do theirjobs, and it is appalling this was allowed to happen…It is past time for DHRand its employees to be held accountable for not doing their jobs.” Attorney Tommy James toldNBC 15 in regard to the filing of this civil case.
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