From left: Brandy and Thomas Blas and Debra Geron, were arrested on second-degree murder charges in the Jan. 18, 2024, death of 10-year-old Geanna Bradley in Honolulu. Geanna died of neglect and starvation, authorities allege. Brandy and Thomas Blas are Geanna’s parents while Geron is her grandmother. (Honolulu Police Department)
A 10-year-old girl starved to death in Hawaii and suffered multiple injuries to her body, including missing the bridge of her nose, authorities say.
The girl’s parents Brandy Blas and Thomas Blas and grandmother Debra Geron are facing second-degree murder charges.
Honolulu police officers and paramedics responded to a home around 8:20 a.m. on Jan. 18 for the girl, later identified as Geanna Bradley, who was unresponsive. First responders moved the girl from her bedroom to the living room to begin CPR but the efforts were unsuccessful and they pronounced her dead.
Cops noticed the girl had several injuries throughout her body including missing half of her nose, the probable cause arrest affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime says. They also saw scratches around her eyes, ears and cheeks. Geanna also “appeared very thin to the point where her ribcage and clavicle bones were very pronounced,” the affidavit said.
Geron told detectives she went to wake up Geanna and her siblings about 6 a.m. She heard Geanna snoring so she assumed she was still sleeping. The grandmother returned to the room later in the morning and noticed she was barely breathing. Geron called in Brandy Blas and they began CPR and called 911.
Geanna Bradley, 10, died on Jan. 18, 2024, at her home in Honolulu of neglect and starvation, cops say. Her parents, Brandy and Thomas Blas, and grandmother Debra Geron, are charged with second-degree murder. (Honolulu Police Department)
Brandy Blas said in an interview with investigators she and her husband are not Geanna’s biological parents but they gained custody of her when she was around 2 years old. She chalked up the injury to Geanna’s nose to her falling off the bike, according to the affidavit. The mother also said Geanna had psychological issues such as ADHD, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. When Geanna didn’t get her way she would throw herself to the ground during daily tantrums which caused the other injuries, her mother claimed. She allegedly said she did not take Geanna to the hospital because she considered the injuries to be normal and treatable at home.
Geanna’s mother said her daughter was not allowed to have sugary treats but otherwise eats normally. But doctors who examined Geanna’s body felt otherwise. An autopsy determined the girl’s suffered from “prolonged child abuse and neglect.”
“Additionally the cause of death is the result of starvation, blunt force injury due to assault, prolonged immobilization and physical restraint, medical neglect and pneumonia,” the affidavit said.
Geanna had only gained three pounds in two years and had not been to a wellness checkup since she was 5, detectives say.
Investigators also allegedly recovered several disturbing videos from surveillance cameras and baby monitors from Geron’s phone. One shows Geanna standing blindfolded in a fenced in area. In another, Geanna appears to be bound with duct tape around her arms and torso. Tape also is covering her eyes, the affidavit said. Thomas Blas also is reportedly seen walking into a room and kicking Geanna in the head for no reason.
Text messages also show Brandy Blas and Geron telling Thomas Blas to “ignore” Geanna and suggest that she was sleeping in a box and going to the bathroom in a bucket, according to the affidavit.
Authorities also removed another child from the home, a 4-year-old boy whom the family had adopted, who suffered from “calorie and psychological deprivation,” the affidavit said. The Blas’ biological children appeared to be in good health.
“It’s horrifying that this would happen to a 10-year-old or any child,” Honolulu Police Chief Joe Logan said at a press conference. “This is not what we want our communities to raise children as.”
The Blases and Geron are in jail without bond.
