This story has made national headlines – the tragic tale of 4-year-old Gabrielle Barrette whose recent death sparked a nationwide manhunt. Her mother, 24-year-old Candice Renea Diaz, and her mother’s boyfriend, 28-year old Brad Edward Fields, have since been charged with child abuse and murder in the wake of Gabby’s untimely death. Since then, CPS has stepped in and removed their other, younger daughter, and begun to process of attempting terminate the couple’s parental rights.
Diaz and Fields are accused of ongoing abuse of 4-year-old Gabby
As we mentioned in a previous article, Diaz and Fields called 911 because Gabby was unresponsive. She was transported to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. However, the autopsy later revealed multiple bruises in different stages of healing, and other injuries that indicated a pattern of ongoing abuse. Fields and Diaz fled the state, and were later picked up by police in Georgia. And now new details are emerging in the case.
CPS was called to the scene when Gabby was hospitalized. At that time, Diaz and Fields’ other child – a 1-year-old daughter – was also removed from their custody and placed in foster care. This was in part due to possible abuse of Gabby, and the state of the couple’s trailer, which the agency said had been a problem before. According to court documents, police responded to a domestic abuse call in 2016 at the couple’s trailer. At the time they found the trailer to be filthy, with rotting food, unwashed dishes, and dog urine and feces throughout. Since then, CPS says, the situation hasn’t improved much for the children living in the home.
Diaz explained to police that Gabby burned herself during an unsupervised bath
After her arrest in Georgia, Diaz explained what had happened before Gabby’s death. According to her account, Gabby had run her own bath the day she died, making the water too hot and scalding her skin. However, Diaz chose not seek medical attention for her daughter at the time. The little girl chose to bathe again the next day. However, Diaz says she was in the kitchen making pancakes, and later came into the bathroom to discover Gabby submerged up to her nose in the water. She pulled her out, and then Gabby vomited.
At that point, Diaz says she called Fields into the bathroom to help. He attempted to administer CPR, but was unsuccessful. A little over half an hour later, Diaz called 911. Fields was also interviewed by authorities after his arrest, but refused to reveal any details from that day. CPS has prohibited Fields and Diaz from having any contact with their 1-year-old daughter. They have also petitioned the court to terminate the couple’s parental rights.
Both Fields and Diaz claim to suffer from metal illnesses
One thing that both Diaz and Fields did tell police after their arrests, was that they both suffered from mental illnesses that were not being treated. According to the CPS termination petition, Diaz claims she has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety. Fields told authorities his diagnosis includes schizoaffective disorder, social anxiety, agoraphobia, and PTSD.
Obviously this is a complex story, with many factors playing a role in this tragic outcome. As with all situations like this, where it is so easy to assign blame to the accused, we ask our readers to reserve judgement. Diaz and Fields have been accused of some very serious crimes, but we haven’t got the full story yet. We don’t know what challenges they faced and what obstacles they were up against.
Child abuse defense attorneys in Michigan
Until then, if you or a loved one have been accused of child abuse, please all The Kronzek Firm at 866 766 5245. Our skilled child abuse defense attorneys are on call 24/7, including weekends and holidays, to help you make sense of a terrible situation. We know there’s always more to the story than meets the eye. Let us help you during this dark time.