Police visited home of boy before death

Jennifer Knight

Friday, Aug. 1, 2003 | 11:19 a.m.

Less than a month before 3-year-old Stephen Caldwell died, police responded to complaints of slapping sounds and a child crying at the motel where Stephen was living with his mother and her boyfriend, according to police reports released Thursday.

Police said they didn't see any evidence that Stephen was being abused, so they left after pointing out to Stephen's mother that the little boy looked dehydrated and should be taken to a doctor.

On July 24, the dehydrated boy, covered with bite marks, bruises and cuts, died from blunt force trauma. One investigator called it one of the worst cases of abuse the investigator had ever seen.

The boy's mother, Essence Caldwell, 18, was arrested on two counts of child neglect and her boyfriend of 1 1/2 years, Darius Rucker, 21, was arrested on charges of murder and four counts of child abuse, according to police reports.

The couple told police the bruises and marks on Stephen's body were from playing, and they said he collapsed and stopped breathing after a day of feeling ill.

An advocate for children said she can't help but wonder whether police could have prevented Stephen's death but missed the opportunity last month.

"I think you have to point the finger at the police," said Donna Coleman, president of Children's Advocacy Alliance. "I think that the police really need to look at their procedure and look at how they deal with children under 5 years of age. Here you have an age group that can't talk and that doesn't have access to school officials. A young child like that, you need to err on the side of caution. It's just disgusting."

The toddler was first brought to the attention of authorities on June 29 at 3:21 a.m. after a security guard reported hearing "slapping sounds and a child crying." The guard noted that just a week prior to that the boy "looked very sad and did not want to interact with him."

When police arrived, they were unable to find marks on the diapered toddler. Before leaving, they gave the boy's mother and her boyfriend a stern warning but noted the toddler had chapped lips and looked dehydrated.

"Given the fact that officers did not see any visible signs of injury, they didn't feel (calling Child Protective Services) was warranted at the time," said Lisa Teele, supervisor of Metro's abuse and neglect unit. "It's tough. You're basing your decision on the information that you have at the time."

According to Ann Rubin, assistant manager for Child Protective Services, officers are trained to call only if there are signs of abuse. In cases such as this one, a report might often not be generated and if one is, it may take months before it makes its way to a CPS worker.

"If they went out and they found that it wasn't a justifiable report or they didn't find anything, it may not be unusual for CPS to not get a report on it," Rubin said. "In all honesty, there are cases where we get police reports months after they respond because they have a backlog in the dictation."

The day that Stephen Caldwell died, his mother and boyfriend said he was sick and vomiting all day long.

Rucker told police that he was in the Emerald Suites apartment in the 3600 block of West Tropicana Avenue when Stephen "acted like he had something to say" and then collapsed.

By the time emergency workers arrived, the boy had no pulse and had green bile blocking his airway. He arrived at Sunrise Hospital in full cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead minutes later, the police report said.

It was later noted by doctors that the boy's body had what looked like adult bite marks on his chest. There were also abrasions on his back and thighs, scratches on his hands and feet and marks on his buttocks. Stephen's sunken eyes showed signs of "severe dehydration," the report said.

Rucker said the dehydration was due to him being sick and the marks on his buttocks were from "pinching him in play." He added that Stephen's mother had seen him "play bite" and asked him to "do it again."

Rucker remained jailed without bail today. Caldwell was being held at the Clark County Detention Center in lieu of $20,000 bond or $40,000 in property.

Rubin said while the first visit didn't save this child, it sometimes takes several calls by concerned neighbors or relatives to bring abuse to the attention of authorities.

"If there's one thing I could stress, it's call us again and again because sometimes you don't find anything the first time," Rubin said. "But it doesn't mean that you don't find anything the second or third time."

The 24-hour hotline for Child Protective Services is 399-0081.