.
Feedback

No Charges Filed in Missing Child Case

State child welfare officials investigating.

Atlanta police will not file charges against the mother or the babysitter of the toddler who had been missing since Nov. 26.

The toddler, Malachi Devon Burley, was found Dec. 6 after his mother, Laquanda Sireka Burley, reported him missing. Burley told police she dropped her 1½-year-old boy off at the Edgewood/Candler Park MARTA station with Sylvia Franklin, but she told investigators she didn't know Franklin's whereabouts, last name or telephone number.

The boy, who was found safe, was to stay with Franklin for only a week.

An Atlanta Police Department spokeswoman said the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services is investigating the case.

Ravae Graham, a DFACS spokeswoman, said she could neither confirm nor deny the agency's involvement. Citing state privacy laws, she said the agency is prohibited from discussing any cases it may be working on unless there's a death.

Fox 5 Atlanta reported the boy suffers from seizures and that his mother told police she felt overwhelmed. She thought a few days apart would be a help to both her and her son.

Joeslaststand December 10, 2012 at 05:06 pm
I am attempting to understand the mothers logic. She left her toddler in the care of a woman in which she only knew on a first name basis, did not know where the child would be kept or the conditions of the location in which he would be kept, nor did she have a phone number to check on the child during her sabbatical from the responsibilities of being a mother. The child bearer of this poor toddler has already shown several incidents of irresponsibility just in the description from this posting and, if this could resemble a snap shot of the responsibility shown by the child bearer regarding this child, he need to be taken from her and placed in an environment in which someone actually cares about his well being over their own. This is another example that society should never stop advocating for free birth control for young women that have shown a lack of responsibility in their decision making. The cost alone of the police & DFAC's involvement could have easily compensate for the cost of issuing free birth control in addition, there is one less traumatized child in the world raised by an overwhelmed young woman barely surviving on her own much less with a dependent child.

Newsletter & Alerts

Get the best stories each day and important breaking news

Subscribe

Not from East Atlanta Patch? Find your Local Patch »

Note Article
Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Melissa Angle June 14, 2013 at 02:42 pm
We spotted her last night (Thursday) just before the storm hit and chased her down May to CliftonRead More then up to Glenwood, where we think she turned into that development under construction across from the school. The storm swept in, and we lost her ... she was clearly panicked. Been back on the hunt this morning with no sign. Please call or text us at 423-653-5636 if you spot her!!!
Colleen loves cats June 8, 2013 at 03:35 pm
If you leave dirty laundry around the outside of your home she may be able to pick up your sent. ItRead More worked with a friend of mine.
Chris Murphy May 24, 2013 at 11:33 am
This is a sales pitch, and not a very good one. This development is well over 2 miles from GrantRead More Park; even the map on the developer's site doesn't correctly show where the subdivision is. And where it is, is across Glenwood from Burgess-Peterson ES, where Glenwood is 4 lanes- good luck ever making a left out of there. But if you want to be able to hear I-20, I guess it's a great location.