Coroner: Baby asphyxiated
Family waiting for justiceBy DARCIE LORENO Tribune Chronicle
WARREN - A 21-month-old foster child murdered in April died from asphyxiation associated with multiple blunt traumatic injuries, according to her death certificate.
While Coroner Dr. Humphrey Germaniuk ruled Tiffany Sue Banks-Cross' death a homicide last week, the death certificate with the cause was released Monday. Germaniuk could not elaborate further on Cross' death as the case is still under investigation.
Cross' family, who previously said they saw bruises and marks on the baby during her funeral, have been waiting for months on the ruling. Now, they're waiting on an arrest.
''I knew what happened before a lot of people did,'' said Herb Putnam, Cross' biological uncle. ''I saw it down at the funeral home. I don't know how someone can walk the streets and them know this happened. I really feel justice needs to be taken care of.''
No arrests have yet been made in the case, which has been handed over to the Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office. According to Champion police reports, Tiffany's foster mother, Bonnie Pattinson, said she found Tiffany not breathing after checking on her during a nap that morning.
After she ran next door, a neighbor performed CPR on the girl until police arrived to find the toddler unresponsive and blue with marks on her body about noon at the 663 Center St. West duplex, police reports state. The report states that the marks were not caused by medical treatment and intervention during the call.
After investigation by Champion police, Trumbull County Children Services Bureau and the Coroner's office, the case was handed over to the prosecutor's office.
Tiffany had been in foster care since her birth in June 2007. Her mother, Felicia Banks, grandmother, Loretta Banks, and father, Tommy Cross, said they visited her regularly until November, when Felicia officially lost custody.
Ova Hall, Tiffany's fraternal grandmother, said Monday she and Cross did not want to comment on the case until the investigation is complete.
''All we want is justice,'' Hall said.
Loretta Banks agreed.
''I want justice done,'' she said. ''I can't handle the wait.''
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jodi732
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09-14-09 8:11 PM
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CSB IS TO BLAME!they placed the child there.the problem with csb is thet think they have more power than they actually do.it goes to their heads
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AngelFallenGrace
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08-13-09 7:01 PM
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i no the mother and the father of this child she was my niece and they both tryed as hard as they could c.s.b. is flucked up and they dont care apprently they dont screen the foster parants very well of tiffany would still be alive so is they cant judge there foster parants what makes u think they can judge a good mother and father like c.s.b. gave my mom my 6 y/o nephew but not her 17 y/o daughter these people are wrong and its there fault tiffany is dead not the mothers not the fathers not the uncle not the grandmother or aunts and uncels it is point blank c.s.b. and the killers fault i hope tiffanys killer burns in he**
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Maah2002
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08-07-09 8:24 PM
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A person who can hurt a child should not have life in my book!! That is the most wrongful thing to do to a child, is kill such an innocent soul!!
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Maah2002
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08-07-09 8:20 PM
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This is a very sad story...I knew Felicia and the things you people are saying are wrong!! CSB never gave her a chance to see how she could have taken care of her babygirl!! I think the foster parents need to rot in prison and should never ever get another child again!! To me they are baby killers and need to be in prison just as if an adult killed another adult and would be sitting downtown!! All I know is that justice needs to be done for this little girl so she can rest in peace and her parents/grandparents can move on with a happier life!! As for Bonnie and William Pattinson you should be ashmaed of yourselves and karma is a bigger bi*ch when it comes back around, You should of gave that baby back to CSB if you couldnt handle her, Your always going to be murders!! Felicia and Loretta and Tommy Keep your head up high and think of the best of your little girl!! And let CSB pay for their mistakes!! F*ck CSB too!! They aint nobody special!!
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lost160
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08-06-09 10:28 AM
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still no arrest and were is the foster parents?not in the house no one for the cops to talk to when is this little girl going to get justice if that is why she was taken
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babyboy
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08-02-09 10:13 AM
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Why are people worried about her biological mother and father. Has nothing to do with them. They are not the ones that did this to that baby. Everyone should be focused on the one that did this to her. But the baby was put in that household for a reason. This baby is I'm sure not the first one that this has happened to in that house. This baby she just went to far with. But, sadly that baby was probably put there for this purpose by someone of a higher power. To bring justice to someone that has done similar things to other babies or children but didn't go as far with the other ones.
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willie1
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07-29-09 4:58 PM
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Shouldn't people be caring more about the foster parents not living at the residence on center street and is now on the run. There belongings are still at house to make it look like they live there, but no one has lived there since June. Someone comes and checks on the place once in a while. But no one lives there. Where are they? Shouldn't this be looked into?
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AngelFallenGrace
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07-29-09 1:41 PM
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look that baby thats dead is my niece and u people who get on here and trash her mom and grandmother dont know a da*n thing about them u live in your own perfect little worlds want 2 hide behind your nasty words the only person 2 blame in this is the person that smothered and beat my niece not her mother you people no nothing about her mother and what she went through trying to get her daughter back do u no c.s.b. gets money for every child they keep from there mothers and fathers c.s.b. is a shi**y place that need investagated by the state of ohio you people no nothing about this young mother and father so sweep your own doorstep clean be4 u diss her felisha and loretta i love u keep your head up these people are just haters love amber
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TPBOOM2
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07-29-09 2:37 AM
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I love it when someone gets on here and says they are a relative. They have no idea how to spell, and the use of punctuations and such. But yet " we ain't trash ".
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UneducatedDrone
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07-28-09 9:57 PM
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Unfortunately, this type of thing happens every day all over the world. Mourn if you need to, and then move on. (-:
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UneducatedDrone
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07-28-09 9:31 PM
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(-: v------------ semi-literate at best, lol.
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lost160
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07-28-09 3:24 PM
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he who has lived with out sin throw the first stone.every one has put blame one the mother the father the grandmother but the only one that is at fault is the one that killed this little girl. and i bet we will never find out what happen to her except that someone strangled,beat and put something over her face !! they have no crime scene thay dont know who did it and how will they find out.no one is going to come up and say i did it . and u all dont know what this young mother has endured her life. who are we to judge what would of happen or what she should of done .tiffany would of been alive if the one that killed her would not of abused her point blank
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FrankieFu2U
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07-28-09 12:41 PM
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Hope the State investigates CSB.
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Hamphog
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07-28-09 11:56 AM
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I was reading the posts on the other report about this little girl.....they were all about her father......apparently he tried real hard to get custody......something is not jivving here.....if he did, if he had a clean background, there would be absolutely no reason why CSB would not grant him custody of his biological child....CSB favor bio's over anyone else.......so that makes no sense to me! Longlivesummer......yes, to become a foster parent there are classes and screening that has to be done, and they had to have a phone.....a lot of this makes no sense.....the Trib should have reported this after all the facts were in..........not in defence of CSB but I have heard of kids being removed from foster homes for far less, so the bruises on this little girl, how could they have not been seen by her case worker, a neighbor, a doctor.......it all really makes no sense. A little girls life lost.............so sad...........
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Longlivesummer
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07-28-09 11:56 AM
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Kanderou..My thoughts exactly..
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kanderou
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07-28-09 11:53 AM
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Summer, you make a very good point. What a sad situation. May this precious little one, now rest in the arms of the Angels.
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Longlivesummer
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07-28-09 11:33 AM
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Kanderou... do you actually think the grandmother was fit to care for the baby? Afterall, her 14 year old seems to have gotten pregnant on her watch. And again when she was about 16 and again when she was 18 or 19. What does that tell you about the grandmother? Please...
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Longlivesummer
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07-28-09 11:29 AM
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Here's a question. Why on earth did the foster mother run next door with an unresponsive baby under her care? Did she not have a phone to call 911? And if not, why would CSB place a child in a home without a phone? I thought there were strict guidelines to be a foster parent. Don't they have to go through some kind of classes and evaluations, home and background checks to become one? Daycare and school teachers must take first aid and or CPR, communicable disease, child abuse recognition courses...why wouldn't a foster family? Wait, that would make sense! Oh, yeah, and the requirement to have a phone, preferably a land line. Again, ALL parties in this tragedy failed this child and should be ashamed of themselves. You don't just lose all parental rights for nothing. If you are doing the right thing during monitored visitations, home visits, counselling etc.,csb does not take ALL your parental rights. Again, the blame in this baby's death is of equal weight on everyone involved.
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kanderou
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07-28-09 10:51 AM
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if this young mother was not fit to care for this child. WHY wasnt the grandmother given custody of her AND the other children?????? seems to me the family didnt fight hard enough to keep these kids
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Sassysue
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07-28-09 10:19 AM
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What was your point noitall?
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anniemae
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07-28-09 9:36 AM
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Someone will be found guilty...we all know that. Hope the investigation is thorough & steps taken in the future by CSB to follow up on foster care. A lot of foster parents are in it for the money....NOT ALL. No matter what, a child is gone at the hands of negiligence. Get to the bottom of it & punish to the fullest extent of the law. And who knows how to be a mother at 14? & to have 3 children taken away. Good grief...give her birth control & see that she takes it. She brought those babies into the world with no thoughts of raising them. Hope the other 2 are in good homes.
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hearnoseeno
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07-28-09 9:33 AM
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this poor litlle girl... but i can agree with others what was this mom thinking... was she fighting for her baby or did she jus give up on her when she lost full custody... childern services arent going to give the baby to the father unless the father is fit he must have a house, with adquate living space and safety, also a job and most likely transprtation, i feel bad for the foster father that was denied her if that was true, cbs is concerned about the well beinging of this child i just dont understand how something like this happens under cbs watch just like what happen in cleveland at parmadale good home the girl was restained face down and choked to death in the care of csb... what is csb doing... i dont feel the banks or anyone should get a civil suit out of this seeing as they have no custody or say so in this little girl since november i think it said... but the person who did this should pay i feel if you kill a baby a child you shold be put to death babies are innocent...
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Sassysue
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07-28-09 9:00 AM
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"the babies dad wanted her,but due the name of the mother he was denied custody." HUH? Is this the family theory?
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tinawilson
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07-28-09 8:51 AM
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"Uncle Paul"do you personally know this family? Or do you just know the name so automatically their trash?I am shocked how many cold hearted people leave blogs on this site.There are always two sides to every story.Have you been readeing the blogs from the lil girls aunt,the babies dad wanted her,but due the name of the mother he was denied custody.We do not know what kind of legal action the dad took because they don't write about anything until something like this happens.I think the person or pesons responsible for this is a cowardly piece if *hit.Anybody who harm a child is the low as they come.They should be be in a room and let some huge ass bodybuilders beat the crap out of them like they did that defenceless baby.
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hermajesty
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07-28-09 8:43 AM
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From 1 day old until this past January, Tiffany was in a very loving foster home for the first 18 months of her precious life with a family who very much wanted to adopt her. She was well loved and well cared for, and safe. Unfortunately the couple separated and even though the foster father desperately tried to adopt her himself, Children's Services took her away from the only father she knew and placed her in another home. That's the trajedy.
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