Left inset: Antavia Kennibrew (WOIO/YouTube). Right inset: Antavia Kennibrew’s 5-year-old daughter (GoFundMe). Background: The area in Cleveland, Ohio, where Antavia Kennibrew’s daughter was allegedly set upon by a group of boys that cops say are all under the age of 10 (Google Maps).
In a harrowing case that has shocked the community, Ohio prosecutors have filed charges against a 10-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy. The charges include attempted murder, rape, assault, kidnapping, and strangulation following a vicious attack on a 5-year-old girl. The young victim was reportedly left in a field after having her hair violently pulled from her scalp.
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the initial charges against the two juveniles on Wednesday, stating, “Based on the evidence we have currently reviewed, two juveniles have been initially charged.” This announcement was made via a press release.
The attack, according to the victim’s mother, involved a group of children, and she is now advocating for further charges to be brought against the others involved. “I pray all kids are able to get prosecuted further down the line,” Antavia Kennibrew expressed on Facebook following the announcement of the charges.
Kennibrew described the horrific assault on her daughter, claiming that her child was beaten, sexually assaulted, and had her hair removed forcibly by a group that included several boys and at least one girl. Authorities believe that all the suspects involved in this case are under the age of 10.
“These are not normal kids,” Kennibrew wrote in a Facebook post last week, reflecting on the assault that happened on September 13.
“These are not normal kids,” Kennibrew alleged in a Facebook post last week about her daughter’s assault on Sept. 13.
“I couldn’t believe what I saw in front of me,” the distraught mom explained about her child’s condition following the attack. “My daughter did not look like herself. She was traumatized.”
A post made by the Cleveland Division of Police on Oct. 7 said its Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit was actively probing the incident and “multiple children under the age of 10” were identified “as suspects.” Local officials did not respond to Law&Crime’s requests for comment Wednesday on whether charges will be filed against the others.
“Their selves and their parents need to be held accountable,” Kennibrew blasted.
The mom told police she dropped her daughter off that Saturday at a family member’s house in Cleveland. The 5-year-old “walked out” the front door of the home undetected and was allegedly found by the “bigger kids,” who presented themselves “as friendly,” according to Kennibrew.
“[The children] took her by her hand and walked her to a field that was far away from the residence,” Kennibrew alleged on Facebook. “In that field, they beat my daughter until she was unconscious. They ripped out her hair. They held my daughter down as they raped her. They also shoved sticks down her throat and … stripped her naked and strangled her with her own shirt.”
Kennibrew says the suspects left her daughter in the field and continued “playing” in the neighborhood. Her family member noticed that Kennibrew’s child was gone and went outside to see if she was in the area, but all she found was the alleged suspects, per Kennibrew.
“My family member … walked up to them and asked them if they saw a little girl,” Kennibrew explained. “They stared at her with no remorse and told her no and continue[d] playing knowing what they had just done to my daughter.”
Authorities were called and the children eventually came back over to the family member with one of their parents to explain where Kennibrew’s daughter was, according to the mom. Kennibrew was alerted by the relative and she rushed over to find EMS treating her daughter several blocks over.
“Her hair was scalped from her head,” she told local CBS affiliate WOIO. “She had bruises and blood all over her body. Her eyes were filled with blood. Her lips and mouth were filled with blood. Her nails had debris and dirt stuck in it.”
Kennibrew says the alleged attack left her daughter physically and mentally hurt, with photos posted by the mom showing “her hair pulled from her scalp.” The young girl is currently undergoing therapy.
“I need justice for my daughter,” Kennibrew wrote on Facebook.
