Tim, you come from a really big family. I would appreciate your thoughts on how reasonable or common it might be for a small child to be overlooked for such a long time.
Girl Was in Van for 7 Hours
Manassas Father Could Be Charged in Death of 19-Month-Old
By Josh White and Eric M. Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, May 31, 2002; Page B01
A 19-month-old Manassas girl who was found dead in her family's van Wednesday night had been left buckled in her car seat for more than seven hours as the temperature inside rose to 140 degrees and her father and older siblings took care of chores around the house and ran errands, authorities and neighbors said yesterday.
Police and prosecutors said that Frances Kelly -- the youngest of 13 children -- likely died of heatstroke inside the gray 15-seat van on Zimbro Avenue. Authorities said the toddler was found about 7:15 p.m. when neighbors out for a walk noticed her inside, dead in her pink outfit.
Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney Paul B. Ebert said Kevin C. Kelly, 46, or another family member asked to watch the child could face charges. "There's no evidence that he intentionally killed the child, but he certainly recklessly endangered her life by placing her in the car and not attending to her," Ebert said.
Ebert said he is considering charges including reckless endangerment, felony murder and manslaughter but added that the investigation is continuing. He said a case could be brought before a county grand jury Monday.
The Kellys were described by neighbors and friends as a deeply religious family that regularly attends Mass. Kevin Kelly and his wife, Mary, are said to be caring parents who are sometimes disorganized.
"This is a time of loss," Kevin Kelly, gathered with five of his children, said in a brief interview in the doorway of his home. He declined to describe the circumstances of his daughter's death, saying only that it was "a tragic accident."
Mary Kelly usually takes care of the children while Kevin Kelly is at his job as an engineer for a local construction company, but she was on a trip to Ireland with the couple's 19-year-old daughter when Frances died, authorities and friends said.
Kelly returned home about noon Wednesday with several of his children, including Frances, and apparently told three older children -- ages 17, 16 and 13 -- to watch after the younger siblings for the day, law enforcement sources said. Those included two children under 5 in addition to Frances. He then apparently went about his errands, including bringing home pizza for dinner, they said.
But the toddler was not taken out of the car for several hours, authorities said. When she was taken to Prince William Hospital, her body temperature was more than 105 degrees. Medical examiners are waiting for test results to help determine the specific time and cause of death.
Manassas Police Chief John J. Skinner said that Kelly was the last person to drive the van and that the windows were rolled up and the doors locked when the toddler was found.
Those who know the Kellys could not believe that anyone in the family could have known what was happening. "He is very religious and totally dedicated to his family," neighbor Mary Grace Karch, whose children go to school with the Kelly children, said of the father. "Their whole life is about their children."
But Wednesday wasn't the first time that Kevin Kelly left one of his children unattended, according to a Prince William police incident report. On Feb. 3 -- Super Bowl Sunday -- Kelly went to a Hollywood Video store on Sudley Road with a number of his children and left his son Martin, then about 3, behind, the report says.
Martin was wandering the store for some time, and clerks called police about 5:40 p.m. Police helped call each person who had rented a video that day, and after they reached the Kelly home, Kevin Kelly rushed over.
Kelly was upset and apologetic when he picked Martin up about 7:30 p.m. -- more than two hours after he was left behind, the report says. No charges were filed, but the case was referred to the county's Department of Social Services.
Yesterday, the Kellys gathered at their home to mourn and pray.
"The parish community is walking with them at this time," said the Rev. Robert C. Cilinski, parish administrator at All Saints Catholic Church. Cilinski and two other priests consoled the family Wednesday evening. "There were tears, and they were upset, but they do have the comfort of family and faith," Cilinski said. "Every child [in the family] knows they are loved and has a sense of worth."
Cilinski said several of the younger children went to school yesterday at Holy Family Academy in Manassas. One of the girls told him Wednesday night that she wanted to go because it was her "last day of school and they'll probably pray for Frances at school."
The older Kelly children are stars at Seton School, a lay Catholic school in Manassas, director Anne W. Carroll said. Four of the Kelly children are enrolled, and a fifth is scheduled to enroll in the fall. Marie Kelly, 19, the eldest in the family, was the school salutatorian last year.
"The Kelly children are very bright, all of them," Carroll said. "But they don't show it off. They are very down-to-earth."
At least one neighbor said that the Kelly children have played in the family's cars over the past few years and that neighbors had told Kevin Kelly of their concerns. Erin Beacher, 20, said she twice saw a child alone in the family vehicle.
"We went and told the father that there was a kid in the car, and he said, 'Thank you,' and got the kid out," Beacher said. About two years later, she noticed a child crawling around in the family's van. She said that when she heard of Frances's death, she called a friend, who "agreed with me that we were not surprised."
Neighbors described the family's lives as somewhat chaotic. In a neighborhood of neatly trimmed lawns and freshly potted flowers, the Kelly home showed peeling paint around the front door, a lawn with bald spots and a numeral missing from the mailbox.
Yesterday, fellow parishioners at All Saints helped the family by mowing the grass, trimming the shrubs and painting the peeling trim.
Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William) has become close with the Kelly family over the past decade at All Saints. Marshall visited the home shortly after Frances was found and hugged Kevin Kelly.
"He's upset," Marshall said. "There are 53,000 what-ifs, but it doesn't change the current facts. It's just very sad."
© 2002 The Washington Post Company |
