DISCLAIMER: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
HOUMA, La. (WGNO)— The Houma Police Department has released new information regarding the death of 2-year-old Ezekiel Harry, who was found dead in a trash can earlier this week.
On Friday, HPD confirmed the official cause of death for the child to be severe blunt force trauma to the head. Detectives say toxicology samples were collected from the child as part of the procedure, however, results are pending.
Police continue to investigate the death of Ezekiel Harry.
7/13 UPDATE — On Wednesday morning, the Houma Police Department provided an update on the murder of 2-year-old Ezekiel Harry. According to Police Chief Dana Coleman, the child’s mother, Maya Jones, “was thoroughly interviewed, where numerous inconsistencies in her allegations were discovered.”
Police say that foul play was suspected, and law enforcement immediately began the search for the missing child.
The Houma Poice Department was joined by several other agencies in the search for the boy, which ended around 6:00 p.m. when his remains were found. Chief Coleman reports that the remains were located in a black duffle bag, that had been left in a garbage can.
During the press conference, two frames from a surveillance video were released, showing the child’s mother and her boyfriend, Jermaine Robinson, leaving the area of the home with the duffle bag in hand.
Surveillance video courtesy of Ron Mack
A third photo was shown, and according to Chief Coleman, the photo shows the couple arriving back home around 5:00 a.m. without the duffle bag.
Police say they had enough evidence to arrest Maya Jones and Jermaine Robinson for their roles in the murder of 2-year-old Ezekiel Harry. Jones and Robinson will each be charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of obstruction of justice.
Officials say this was, unfortunately, not the first instance of abuse towards Ezekiel Harry. Terrebonne Parish District Attorney, Joseph Waitz Jr. said, “We are aware of abusive patterns in the past involving this young child. Some of the stuff that early on investigations show, just shocks the conscious, that this type of abuse would go on.”
“As far as the prosecution of this thing, this is absolutely a potential death penalty case,” DA Waitz continued. “The wants and the desires of the family are very important to me. So that is a decision we will make at some point in the future.”
Agencies assisting in the search included: the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Louisiana State Police, the Houma City Marshal’s Office, the US Coast Guard, the Dulagre Fire Department, and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
HOUMA, La. (WGNO) — The search for a missing toddler ended after the remains of the child were found in a trash can in Houma on Tuesday. According to the Houma Police Department, police found the remains of 2-year-old Ezekiel Harry on Daspit Street around 6 p.m.
Although the investigation remains in its early stages, HPD detectives have arrested Harry’s mother, Maya Jones, and her live-in boyfriend, Jermaine Robinson, in connection to the child’s disappearance. Detectives say both suspects are awaiting charges that include first-degree murder and obstruction of justice.
Following the missing child’s report, Houma Police also received a call related to the incident, suggesting the child had been abducted.
Just hours before Harry’s remains were located, Louisiana State Police had issued a Level II Endangered Missing Child Advisory for the child who was last seen around noon on Tuesday near Main and Mahler streets. This location is also near the twin bridges overpass that runs over the Intracoastal Waterway.
When contacted by HPD, Jones reportedly told detectives that she was walking along Bayou Terrebonne with her children when a suspect in a gray truck passed the family, swiped the two-year-old, and drove away. However, an investigation revealed that the information received by Jones was inaccurate.
Police continue to investigate the child’s death and are urging anyone with additional information to contact the Houma Police Department at 985-873-6371.