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Search widens after starving boys found in basementOne child died; homicide charges possible
NEWARK, New Jersey (CNN) -- Police and the FBI were searching from Maine to the Carolinas for a woman accused of abandoning three young brothers, one of whom was found dead and two others locked in squalid basement rooms. Newark, New Jersey, police found the body of 7-year-old Faheem Williams in a plastic container in a locked room over the weekend, Newark Mayor Sharpe James said. Faheem's twin brother, Raheem, and 5-year-old brother, Tyrone, were in another locked room. The mayor said Tyrone had suffered burns from his neck down that affected his ability to walk. James said Tuesday an autopsy showed Faheem had suffered from starvation and blunt force trauma. The child was wrapped in a blanket. The other boys were being treated at The University Hospital in Newark, being treated for dehydration and starvation. The mayor said they were in "good spirits." Police issued an arrest warrant for Sherry Murphy, who was supposed to be looking after the boys while her cousin, the boys' mother, was in jail. Police Lt. Derek Glenn said that Murphy was seen Monday in Newark, but disappeared before police could get there. In case she fled the state, police have alerted authorities from Maine to the Carolinas, where she may have relatives. The FBI was helping, and a number of leads had been generated by media coverage, Glenn said. "With the public's continued cooperation, we hope to expedite her apprehension," Glenn said. Murphy faces child endangerment charges, the Essex County prosecutor's office said Monday. James has said authorities are considering homicide charges.
Officials do not know how long the boys were in the basement. Murphy moved into the apartment the first week of December. The boy's mother, Melinda Williams, 41, was being treated at a New York hospital for injuries from a car accident she was involved in over the weekend as she drove to see her children, James said. Williams turned the boys over to Murphy last March, when Williams was jailed on an assault charge. When she was released in August, she was unable to find either Murphy or her children, the mayor said. She finally learned their whereabouts from an aunt, and had been en route to see them when the car accident happened, James said. He said it is possible she may never walk again. In another twist, the Division of Youth and Family Services was supposed to be monitoring the boys when their mother went to jail, but did not, James said. He said officials were looking into why that happened. Boyfriend discovered boys in 'terrible state'Police were called Saturday by Shawn Slappy, who said he had been dating Murphy and had gone down to the basement to find shoes and boots. He found two children in a room "in a terrible state," James said. When Raheem told authorities he had a twin brother, police returned to the house and discovered a child's body in another room. Officials do not know how long the boys were in the basement. Murphy moved into the apartment the first week of December, and neighbors said they did not recall ever seeing the children. "Raheem couldn't talk about any school he's been attending," James said. "It could be a case where the children were moved from one locked condition to another. ... There's a real mystery unfolding here." Both boys were enjoying food and freedom to play, he said, noting that Tyrone was eating jelly from a jar. "[They are] two kids with good manners, good spirit, suffering for no reason of their own," he said. "They're reaching out for love and caring."
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