Manassas woman charged with child neglect
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By Elisa Glushefski
Published: July 2, 2008
A 31-year-old woman was charged with four counts of child neglect stemming from the death of an infant nearly three months ago.
Melandie Hernandez of 9313 Grant Ave. in Manassas was charged Wednesday with one count for each child who was under her care at the time, said Manassas Park police.
The investigation began when police were called to a residence in Manassas Park for a report of an unresponsive infant the morning of March 19, according to police and court documents.
In an affidavit filed in Prince William County Circuit Court in March, Detective Howard M. Perry wrote that he responded to the house at 10:13 a.m. that day and was met by a “distraught woman who had an unresponsive baby at her feet.”
Perry performed CPR on the 9-month-old, who was later transported to Prince William Hospital and pronounced dead in less than an hour, the affidavit states.
The house was filthy, the affidavit states, with soiled diapers, rotten food and dead bugs covering the floor.
“The biggest thing was the current living conditions at the house,” Perry said Wednesday afternoon. “It was almost squalor. It was the worst I’ve ever seen.”
Hernandez told police that the baby appeared to be fine when she woke up, according to the affidavit.
“She stated she began to clean her house and came back into the bedroom and found the baby unresponsive and blue in the face,” Perry wrote in the affidavit.
Hernandez’s three other children — ages 1, 3 and 6 — were placed with the Department of Social Services immediately following the incident, Perry said.
Hernandez was held in lieu of a $10,000 bond and will have a hearing in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, police said.
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Reader Reactions
Posted by ( cari0101 ) on July 14, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Exactly, it was never mentioned! It makes for a better story to stomp someone through the mud than to actually tell the whole story!
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Posted by ( zcxnissan ) on July 14, 2008 at 12:55 am
Where is the news about SIDS being the cause of death? Chris Cummings
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Posted by ( April ) on July 09, 2008 at 9:25 am
Cari0101 Plea contact me oggyapril@yahoo.com I would like to offer my assitance in someway. There are 2 sides to a story and the news picks what ever side will sell best!
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Posted by ( susan ) on July 08, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Now that we know that this precious angel died from SIDS I hope each of you go home tonight and look at your wives, girlfriends,mothers and daughters and imagine their names being smeared. Please think before you speak. Cari010 you and your family have my sympathy and prayers.
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Posted by ( MISSGEE ) on July 08, 2008 at 9:13 am
Does anyone know what was the cause of death? This is very sad and I wish someone could have reached out and helped her and the children.
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Posted by ( cari0101 ) on July 07, 2008 at 10:52 am
Why wont you post what I responses??? Your worried about protecting yourselves but wont even give the respect to my nephew to allow the family to speak out!! WoW!! :`(
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Posted by ( cari0101 ) on July 06, 2008 at 11:33 am
Well since my first message wasnt posted lets try this again! Well 1st of all this is my family that your talking about! My nephew passed away from SIDS.. and my sister is a very good mother, just not a very good house keeper! Should she be punished like this?? She didnt just loose a son she lost everything! And she has been trying her hardest to obide by the court orders!! It’s been 4 months,
“ LET HIM REST IN PEACE ALREADY! “
~TE QUIERO SUENO EN PAZ MIJITO~
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Posted by ( zcxnissan ) on July 06, 2008 at 1:56 am
She is as bad as those sexual predators who were arrested in the park. LOL Chris Cummings
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Posted by ( cari0101 ) on July 04, 2008 at 12:30 pm
This is ludacris! Melandie is a very loving mother and she would never hurt her children, her child dies of SIDS! Before you people pass judgement, maybe you should actually know what your talking about! This article should have never been printed! Manassas Park Police office Perry has been out to get our family for years! Due to issues that had nothing to do with this! Many of the details according to the affadavits are incorrect, and just so happens that POTOMAC NEWS, MJM, AND THE REST OF THEM.. printed this story before the facts were actually checked! Sounds like incompatance on the Police Department and the News papers to me!!.. She hasnt been convicted of anything! Get your storys straight! My nephew deserves it! I dont know how you people can sleep knowing that you ruin peoples lives!!!
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Posted by ( Joy2Bee ) on July 04, 2008 at 11:43 am
Wow, all of those choices and not once the thought that she could be tired, depressed, over-worked, or alone. I guess I wasn’t aware that Social Services made unannounced home visits on random families…
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