On July 17, 2022, 7-year-old Ja'Ceon Terry took his last breath. He hadn't seen his mother in years. Instead he’d been residing at a Kentucky treatment and foster care facility. In September 2022, his death was ruled a homicide.
The coroner's office ruled that he died of "positional asphyxia," meaning the position of his body prevented his breathing - potentially that his mouth, nose, or chest was restricted or restrained. But the 'how' and 'why' are still unknown.
"They said my child would be safer in foster care than with me but see the outcome of what happened," said Ja'Ceon's mother, Dominique Terry. To make matters worse, Terry and her father didn't even find out about Ja'Ceon's death until they saw it in the news.
All of this could have been avoided.
Terry's children were taken because she struggled with drug addiction and financial issues. Their other relatives couldn't afford to take them in. What would have happened if the state had provided them with financial and medical support?
The criminal legal system works with the foster care system to separate Black children from their families - and both systems have deep roots in slavery. Ja'Ceon deserved a better life - a life where his family could get the help they needed.