In 2011, Destene Simmons allegedly tried to smother her toddler by putting a pillow over his face.
Antwan Hope Jr. was taken from his mother’s care by the state, but he was returned to her for an unsupervised weekend visit in 2013, according to the Miami Herald. This was their first time alone together in years.
The four-year-old, who had just graduated from pre-school, would be dead three days later.
Over 11 years since Antwan’s death, authorities arrested Simmons in Broward County on Friday. She faces a first-degree murder charge for the death of her son, as well as an aggravated child abuse charge.
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Coral Springs police have said Antwan’s death was “suspicious” but have not released other details on the circumstances, the Miami Herald reported.
“The arrest marks the culmination of over 11 years of dedicated investigative work by the Coral Springs Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit,” Coral Springs police said in a statement. “Detectives revisited the case numerous times over the years.”
On June 10, 2013, authorities received several 911 calls from Simmons, and officers went to her apartment, where they found her son Antwan’s body on a bed, still in his pajamas, according to the Sun Sentinel.
A 2013 report by the Casey Family Programs, which included Antwan’s case, outlined officials’ failure to protect children in dysfunctional households.
“Medical experts stated that this child may have been dead for 10-15 hours before the mother contacted the authorities,” according to the report. “What may have been the attempted murder of this child in 2011 was disregarded because the child, less than 3-years-old at the time of the attempted suffocation, did not ‘disclose’ that the incident had occurred…”
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“We recognize that we must be open about our failures in order to improve,” Florida’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) said in response to the report at the time. “These innocent victims should serve as our inspiration as we work to implement the recommendations in the report and improve our practices to keep children safe.”
DCF removed Antwan from Simmons’ care after she was committed to a mental health facility in 2011. ChildNet, a DCF contractor, later reunited him with his mother after she met several conditions that could allow her unsupervised visitation, according to the Miami Herald.
“They put him in the hands of death,” Antwan’s aunt, Deborah Jackson, told the Miami Herald.
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“Our detectives never gave up on Antwan Hope Jr.,” Coral Springs Police Chief Bradley McKeone said.
Simmons faced a judge on Saturday. She is being held without bond in the North Broward Bureau in Pompano Beach.
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“This arrest brings closure to the family of Antwan Hope Jr., who have waited over 11 years for justice,” police said. “The Coral Springs Police Department remains committed to bringing justice to all victims, no matter how much time has passed.”
