This is Chantel Craig:
Chantel was 18 months old when she and her unnamed 3 year old sister were found in their mother's vehicle on the Tulalip Reservation in Washington on October 8th, 2012. The girls were suffering from dehydration and malnutrition and had been living with their mother, Christina Carlson, in an inoperable vehicle on the reservation for weeks. Both children were covered in painful sores due to sitting in soiled diapers for days. They had lice in their hair and their diapers and items were infested with maggots and bed bugs. Evidence suggested the girls were only out of their car seats for 1 hour per day. Unfortunately by the time authorities arrived, they found Chantel deceased. Chantel was 18 pounds with prominent ribs and a sunken abdomen. The 3 year old barely survived, likely saved by a neighbor who encouraged her mother to check on them.
State social workers and workers for the Tulalip Tribes had been investigating Christina for months and left the case open until just hours before Chantel's body was found. Workers initially had trouble locating Christina and her children but met with them eventually. They determined the girls were not in imminent danger and noted no signs of abuse or neglect. Christina had already had four previous children removed from her care and social workers discovered she lied to them about obtaining treatment for chemical dependency.
Christina was addicted to heroin and was preoccupied primarily with satisfying her withdrawals as opposed to parenting. She was found to have also smoked heroin in the car she shared with her daughters. She begged the court for leniency due to her own neglectful and traumatic childhood but was denied due to her indifference. Authorities claim Christina was well aware of local resources and how to access them but chose this route instead. Christina was sentenced to 15 years in jail for her daughter's death and the mistreatment of her other child. It's possible with better Social Services intervention that signs of neglect would not have been missed or Christina and her children could have been found. May Chantel rest in peace and may her memory be a blessing.
Tribal Information: Unknown
Sources:
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