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MOM, BABY FOUND DEAD

Mystery surrounds 11-day-old infant and mother's death

WHILE THE REST of the world was celebrating the birth of one child on Christmas Day, the family of Tameka McFarquhar was mourning the loss of theirs. The Jamaican born, Tameka, and her eleven-day-old baby, Danasia were found dead in their Watertown apartment, New York, United States.

Tameka, 22, and her father, Seymour McFarquhar, migrated to the United States in 1999. While there, she attended the Acorn High School; after which, she enlisted in the army in March 2003 and was assigned to Fort Drum as a Human Resource Specialist.

As THE STAR spoke with Mr. McFarquhar at his New York home, he broke down into tears. "Is my last daughter...my last child...she was just 22-years-old."

He said the last time he spoke to her was the night she was discharged from the hospital, "She went into the hospital on the 14th and had the baby the same night, and she was discharged on the 15th. I called her after she left the hospital, and when she got home she never called. When we spoke to her Sunday night, it was about 9pm. A friend called her the next day but didn't get a response."

Probable cause

Mr. McFarquhar said they, along with a friend, kept calling her apartment during the week, but Tameka never answered her phone. On the Friday, the friend then went to the Watertown police department to ask if it was possible to get someone to enter the apartment. They, however, said they were unable to do so without probable cause.

When THE STAR contacted Tameka's friend, Connie Daniels, she said she watched the baby on Sunday and tried calling on Monday, but there was no answer. "I called everyday, until Christmas Eve. I then called her parents' house to ask if she was there for the Christmas, but when they said 'no', I knew because if she was going there, she would have told me."

On Saturday, Christmas Day, Connie called the police again. They then contacted the building manager to gain access to her apartment. When the police entered, they found Tameka and her baby dead. THE STAR contacted the Watertown Police Department, and spoke to the investigating officer, Detective Richard Gregory, who said, "The victim was found by the maintenance person in her apartment."

He said nothing unusual was found in the apartment, and "the cause of death would be in the toxicology report, which is not yet ready. It will be ready anywhere form 2-12 weeks; it depends on how far the lab is backed up."

Det. Gregory said Tameka and her baby, could have died anywhere up to five days before they were discovered. Tameka's family suspects that the baby which died next to her mother, died from starvation. "It's nothing more than the baby in there and hungry for how long, and don't have anybody to feed her because Tameka was already dead."

When THE STAR visited the McFarquhar home in Coates Pen, May Pen, Clarendon, we were able to take in the warmth Connie spoke of. In between laughter and tears, the family talked about Tameka. Tameka's eldest sister, Joan McFarquhar, said when their mother called them in May Pen and gave them the news, she went into a state of shock. Couldn't believe

"When we go church, we never hear anything the pastor was saying. We bawl the whole of Sunday...Sunday night...right through. I couldn't believe that something go so. I called her couple days before, and left a message asking her to call me back. Me shock fi hear that something happened and I spoke to her a couple days before." Mrs. McFarquhar said, had Tameka lived, she would have been coming to Jamaica on Thursday, January 6 to visit the rest of her family. "We never even get a chance to meet our granddaughter...not even that."

The family also does not know who the father of the child is. When THE STAR asked Connie if she knows the father of the baby, we were told, "I am not able to give out that information." When we asked if he was aware of the deaths, we were given the same answer. The Mountain Division Chief of Staff, Col. Burke Garrett, said, "Our hearts go out to her family and we will do all we can to assist them."

Tameka and her baby's body arrived on the island last week Wednesday night and will be buried on Saturday at the May Pen Baptist Church.