TITUSVILLE, Fla. – The Department of Children and Families said it has a history with the mother of an infant who was found dead in a cooler on Tuesday.
DCF said it investigated Janelle Richardson once when she failed to put her son, Ja-Veon Brushan, in a car seat, and several months later when she was arrested and charged with threatening her boyfriend with a knife. In both incidents, however, DCF determined the baby was not in any danger.
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Seven-month-old Ja-Veon was found Tuesday afternoon in a cooler in the back yard of his baby sitter's boyfriend's home. Richardson told Titusville police she had not seen her son since Thursday, but she did not report him missing until Sunday.
Police said the baby sitter, Carolyn Miller, told them she took a nap, and when she awoke, the infant was dead, so she put him in the cooler. She has been charged with child neglect and improper disposal of human remains.
DCF is investigating why Richardson waited three days to report Ja-Veon missing.
Miller is being held on $150,000 bond. She could face more charges once toxicology results are in and the cause of death is determined.