The Misery Machine - The Case of Nefertiti Harris

Starting point is 00:00:00 Nefertiti Diamond Harris was born in Syracuse, New York on November 17, 2018 to parents Latasha Mott and James Harris. She had several brothers and sisters, Lainari, Jeremy, Lavea, Jameer, Samaj, My Love, Terry, and James. Nefertiti was a sweet, energetic child who loved her brothers and sisters and enjoyed playing games. She was a beautiful little girl with big brown eyes and bouncing curls that were often decorated with beads and bows and barrettes. She loved Elmo, dancing and visiting the beach. We wish we could say that Nefertiti was born into a happy, carefree life immediately surrounded by her

Starting point is 00:00:42 loving family, but unfortunately that is not the case. Her mother Latasha, who had bipolar disorder, stopped taking her medication. She was also homeless and had been using drugs during her pregnancy with Nefertiti, and, unsurprisingly, Nefertiti was born with a detectable, amount of drugs in her system. Before she even left the hospital, a family court judge ordered her removed from her mother's custody. The other four children that Latasha had at that time were also removed in place in different foster homes. Neosha Smith, a family friend, got a call from Nefertiti's grandmother asking if she could foster the three-day old baby. Six hours later, Neosha had a tiny little Nefertiti in her arms, who she called Tootie after a friend's son. Under Neosha's

Starting point is 00:01:29 care, Tudy grew into a happy, sassy toddler. Neosha often worked two jobs to provide a middle-class life for little Tudy. Baby girl attended daycare and went on sunshine-filled vacations to Oneida Shores and Myrtle Beach with her foster mom when it was warm enough. Tudy loved Elmo, and when she turned one-year-old, Neosha arranged a professional Elmo-themed photo shoot. She also had a princess-themed photography session where Tudy wore a gold tutu. Tudy's birthday party had a huge guest list and featured party of custom cheese curls, which was Tootie's favorite snack. Neosha and Tootie were a little family for almost two years. Tudy loved Neosha, who she called mom, and Neosha's friends and family all adored her.

Starting point is 00:02:11 However, like all foster parents, Neosha knew that she wasn't likely to keep her forever. Her birth mother could get her life back together, then the system would try to place Tudy back with her biological family. Latasha and her boyfriend at the time, James Harris, had yet to complete the court's requirements after nearly two years without her children. Police were called twice during that time because of fights between James and Latasha, who had a long history of drug use and violence. The courts issued a stayaway order that barred the two from being together because of their

Starting point is 00:02:45 volatile relationship, but they continued to violate that order. Latasha took nearly two years to even begin getting mental health treatment, drug treatment, and counseling. Meanwhile, James did not complete. any of the court's requirements and he continued to use hard drugs. Latasha had begun to show progress, but by the summer of 2020, she had still not completed any of the court's requirements for mental health and drug treatment. In July of 2020, CPS workers recommended against putting the children back into Latasha's care. All of the current

Starting point is 00:03:19 guardians would have adopted the children. Latasha still had significant work to do. But despite this, the family court returned custody of the children to Latasha that fall. including Nefertiti, who is now 22 months old. The reason for this ruling is unclear. Natasha did not have stable housing on her own, but getting custody of her children allowed her to qualify for benefits in housing. She called Nefertiti Neffi, so the little girl ceased to be Tudy. Neosha said that when she brought Nefertiti for her initial overnight visits,

Starting point is 00:03:51 she saw that the only furniture in Latasha's home were milk crates for chairs and a mattress on the dirty floor. Niocha always sent her with clothes and toiletries and would make sure to bring the girl some food. One time she stopped by to bring Nefertiti some pizza and found the toddler in the living room all by herself. After she gave her hugs and kisses, Nefertiti grabbed her hand and walked Neosha to the door as if she was asking to get out of there. Neosha called the social worker assigned to the family and told them about this incident as well as the living conditions in the home. Social worker told her that Neffi just needed time to adjust. Born in Eosha, Latasha still hadn't completed court-ordered drug addiction or mental health treatments. Despite this, 26-year-old Latasha was still given full custody of her five children.

Starting point is 00:04:38 Eosha had no legal rights to see Nefertiti anymore. Latasha still allowed her to visit sometimes. Around the time that Nefertiti was returned to her birth mother, Yosha noticed that Nefertiti had begun biting her nails. She thought this was concerning and told a social worker, A more obvious sign of a problem was in February of 2022 when Neuthori was babysitting Nefertiti and her older sister. Neosha was giving them a bath when she noticed a large bruise shaped like a handprint covering most of Nefertiti's torso. She asked Nefertiti's older sister who caused the bruise, and the sister replied it was their mother.

Starting point is 00:05:18 Eosha took a picture of the bruise and called Latasha. The girl's mother denied hitting the toddler, but said that she would take Nefertiti to a doctor. Niocha was not satisfied and called the CPS hotline to report abuse. However, the case was determined to be unfounded and was closed. After that, Latasha did not allow Neutia to see Nefertiti for over a year. A neighbor, Lachima Smith, later reported that Latasha seemed to single out Nefertiti for punishment. Her family lived in the same duplex as Latasha's family at 127 Beard Avenue in Syracuse. She recalled one time when her own children were playing with the first of her family.

Starting point is 00:05:56 four-year-old and her siblings on a hot summer day. They were playing outside with water when Nefertiti suddenly stopped and stood aside from the other kids. Lashima realized that Nefertiti had wet her pants. Tasha came outside and began yelling at her daughter who was crying. Latasha picked up Nefertiti by the front of her shirt, nearly choking her and then hit the little girl hard in the head with her other hand. Lechima said it was not uncommon for Nefertiti to get yelled at or hit when she wet her pants. She said Nefertiti was treated worse than her siblings and always seemed to be in trouble getting punished or left behind. A little girl who was born with cocaine in her system struggled with being potty trained and not getting distracted. Machima said that when you spoke to

Starting point is 00:06:38 Nefertiti, she would sometimes trail off when she was talking her, forget to finish a task that she had started. However, she described her as sweet and polite, always eager to play outside with Lachima's own daughters. Nefertiti was often forced to stay inside while the other children. children played. Once, Lashima was at Latasha's house and saw that Nefertiti was in the corner being punished. Chima asked the little girl why she always was in the corner, but Latasha told her to butt out and swore at her. Tasha said it was her daughter and that she could do what she wanted with her. When her siblings got prizes and treats, Nefertiti was often left out. Pour into Lashima, everybody gets a bag of chips, but Neffi can't get that because she'd done

Starting point is 00:07:19 peed on herself, or she didn't eat the rest of her food, or she didn't eat the rest of her food, or she didn't do something. Sometimes Nefertiti was only given a bowl of cold noodles when everybody else had hot food. Chima said that Latasha complained that Nefertiti cried too much and was too much work. Lashima said that Nefertiti was happy and energetic when she played with her daughters, but at home, she seemed afraid to talk. She didn't call Latasha mom. One time, she overheard Nefertiti call her mother Tasha, which earned her a vicious slap from her mother. Other friends and family members thought that Nefertiti might have had developmental issues, which frustrated her birth mother. However, her foster mother, Nyoshas, said that when Nefertiti was in her care, it was a different

Starting point is 00:08:02 story. She remembered the little girl being bright and bubbly, learning to crawl at only six months. She said Nefertiti learned her colors and shapes early and didn't have trouble with potty training. Looking back, she thinks she may have begun having accidents because she was scared of her mother. In June, Latasha was charged. with felony assault for stabbing another woman with a folding knife at Zemart, the convenience store around the corner from the duplex where she lived. The victim had to be hospitalized, and Latasha later pled guilty to a lesser charge. Neosha was allowed to see Nefertiti again in 2023,

Starting point is 00:08:40 about a year after she reported the bruise on her torso. She went to visit Nefertiti, Neosha said the little girl was often wearing dirty clothes and had dirt under her fingernails and that she usually smelled like urine. Yosha said that she'd scoop up Nefertiti and joke that she must have been playing somewhere smelly and that it was time to wash up. For the few minutes it took to give Nefertiti a bath, Eosha felt like the girl was hers again, that she was safe and sound finally. Eosha said that there were more bruises on Nefertiti after the first one that she reported,

Starting point is 00:09:09 but she was scared of losing contact with her again if she filed any more complaints. During one visit, Eosha saw that Nefertiti had a black eye. She took a video of the two of them baking a cake together in which Nefertiti... his eye could be seen ringed with a bruise. Neosha asked Latasha about the bruise. Natasha blamed it on Nefertiti's sister. Neosha decided not to report the bruise to CPS. She said, they weren't doing anything.

Starting point is 00:09:33 I would lose her again. Fall of 2023, Nefertiti was set to begin kindergarten at the McKinley-Brighton school. Neosha took Nefertiti shopping for new school clothes. She remembers that she was so happy. I was so happy because I knew she was getting out of the house. She'd be able to get milk and drink. juice and adults could lay eyes on her. It truly felt like she was going to get away from her mother this year. Something in that school shopping visit evidently angered Latasha because she refused

Starting point is 00:10:02 to let Neosha see Nefertiti again. Neosha begged to bring birthday presents for her when she turned five in November, but she was refused. It was also pushed away from visiting at Christmas. Neosha wasn't the only one worried about Nefertiti, and other people began to report concerns of abuse towards Latasha's children during that time. On October 31st, Latasha sent a troubling text message to her friend Lanina Lawrence. Earlier that day, Latasha tried to push her 10-year-old son out of the car. When they stopped the car at Linnea's mother's house and the boy ran inside, Latasha tried to kick in the door. And the messages she sent to Leninia, she threatened to kill her son saying, Y'all gonna have to dig his ass out the fucking ground.

Starting point is 00:10:49 Today, tomorrow, whenever, wherever I see him, I'm going to beat the life out of him. She also wrote in that same string of text messages that she hoped the boy got hit by a bullet. Lenina reported these messages to the Syracuse police in the New York State CA hotline. She said, I told the lady that at CPS, something's like really psychologically wrong with her. She needs help. When the Onondaga County CPS workers went to investigate the concerns, the boy told them his mother would beat him and would also beat his sister Nefertiti with a flat iron. When she heard this, Lanina tried to keep the boy at her house, and initially CPS told her to hold on to him for now. She began making arrangements to get

Starting point is 00:11:34 formal custody of him and even enrolled him in her son's daycare. However, two days later, she was told to return the boy to his mother Latasha. The county CPS worker had quickly decided that the boy and Nefertiti were safe. The abuse allegations were not credible and the children were not in danger. Latasha bragged afterwards about the incident. She described how the CPS workers came to her house and told her that they were not going to remove her children. She said, I'm not worried about nothing. They can't snatch my rights. They're not taking anyone from me. It ain't nothing. Another report was filed on December 13th when Latasha's older son had a bruise on his cheek, but CPS workers decided that he had simply knocked his head on his bed frame and gave himself

Starting point is 00:12:21 the bruise. Both the early report and this one were closed as unfounded. According to the neighbor Lashima, Latasha's new boyfriend named Corrice Parks also had been living with her. Corrice was the father of Latash's newborn baby and her unborn daughter. Corrice had a criminal record in Syracuse involving weapons and drugs that dated back nine years. He served three years in state prison for a 2017 conviction on the charge of criminal possession of a weapon. He was released in August of 2020. At the same time, he served a one-year sentence for a 2016 charge of possession of a stolen handgun. He was also convicted of criminal possession of heroin that same year. Shema said that Latasha often took ecstasy and other pills, even though she was pregnant,

Starting point is 00:13:05 so that there was a lot of drug dealing in the neighborhood around the home. Shima said that Latasha seemed to be spiraling into a deep depression during her latest pregnancy. She told Lashima that she did not want the baby, and at least once said that she wanted to remove herself from the earth while the baby was still inside her. Tasha did not seek prenatal care during the pregnancy. Although she asked friends and family for help, it seemed like she was mostly on her own with six children, including a newborn. Natasha's older daughter, who did not live with her, sometimes came over to help out. Several months into her pregnancy, Latasha texted another friend that she didn't want to be pregnant anymore, saying,

Starting point is 00:13:41 I don't want this baby no more. I'm about to send my kids to my moms. I'm about to take some pills and go in early labor. Tasha gave birth to her seventh child on December 30th. The baby was born seven weeks early. Like Nefertiti, she was born with traces of drugs in her system. This time, it was amphetamines, which may or may not have been prescribed, and this time Latasha was allowed to take her baby home anyway. CPS worker did a home visit on January 4th, 2024, and reported that everything was fine.

Starting point is 00:14:10 Caseworkers saw that the children were clean and accounted for with no obvious bruises. There was no sign of drug use in the home and there was food in the refrigerator. Natasha's caseworker closed the case as she felt the minimum standards have been met. A couple of days later, Neosha messaged Latasha on Facebook to ask how Nefertiti was. Latasha told her that Nefertiti was in Georgia with relatives. and that she had just chatted with her. Niosha said to tell Nefertidi that her godmother missed her, and Latasha said that she'd have Nefertiti call her later that day.

Starting point is 00:14:44 However, Neuthori never heard from her. Latasha switched Nefertiti school enrollment from McKinley-Brighton Elementary School to Meacham Elementary School. January 16th, Neferti was supposed to start her first day at her new school, but never showed up. Manda Hall, a spokesperson for the Syracuse City School District, said there are daily robocalls to a child. child's parent or guardian when a child is absent from school.

Starting point is 00:15:07 Latasha responded to the concerns of district employees by telling them she had transferred Nefertiti and some of her siblings from McKinley Brighton to a school in Georgia. Latasha told the district that Nefertiti had family there who she would live with while attending another school. However, SCSD never received a transfer request from a Georgia school, so district employees continued to try to follow up about Nefertiti. The employees made several referrals to CPS about Nefertis and her siblings' welfare. Meanwhile, Latasha told conflicting stories to different people about Nefertiti's whereabouts. Finally, on Saturday, March 23rd, the Syracuse Police Department received a report from Neferti's

Starting point is 00:15:44 grandmother, Keanti Frazier, as well as Nefertiti's godmother, Neotia. Latasha apparently had told each woman that the other had been taken care of Nefertiti. However, they bumped into each other that day and realized that neither of them knew where Nefertiti actually was. Frantic Facebook messages between family members show them desperately searching for someone who knew where Nefertiti was. was. The investigation initially began as a missing person's case. Latasha and her boyfriend Carese were out of town, but when they returned to Syracuse on Saturday, Latasha was asked to come to the public safety building downtown. Latasha's boyfriend was also questioned but was uncooperated with police and later released. When police questioned Latasha, she made a terrible

Starting point is 00:16:28 confession. She revealed to police that nearly three months prior on January 6th, she was a She had beaten Nefertiti to death and then hid her body in a wooded area. That was just a week after she had given birth to her newest daughter, and only two days after CPS had last been to their home to check on Latasha's children. Latasha told the police that she had beaten Nefertiti multiple times with a belt while she was in the shower, killing the little girl in the process. Latasha was arraigned on Monday for charges of manslaughter and disposal of a corpse. The DA said that excessive corporal punishment caused Nefertiti to die, based on Latasha's own account,

Starting point is 00:17:10 with police describing the beating as recklessly causing her death. Latasha was held in the county justice center jail. Her bill was set at $1 million bond or $500,000 cash. That same day, police began searching a baseball field in the wooded area behind brick school terrace, an apartment complex at 818 Salt Springs Road on Syracuse's east side. This was about four miles from where Latasha lived. Police and other personnel could be seen carrying shovels, rakes, plastic tarps, and plastic buckets from the search area.

Starting point is 00:17:42 A recent snowfall made the search especially difficult. The snowplow was used to clear a path so that searchers could bring in a generator to run scene lights, allowing the search to continue throughout the night. The search drone was seen in the area as well. People dropped off candles and balloons near the area police were searching in memory of the little girl. This soon grew into a heartbreaking. memorial that is still there to this day. Law enforcement officials were also searching a home on McKinley Avenue, listed as Latash's

Starting point is 00:18:09 home address on court paperwork. Police were seen bringing evidence out in boxes while bringing shovels and flashlights inside the home. At around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, police finally located Nefertiti's body in a shallow grave near a wooded area. She was found wearing her pajamas with a blanket wrapped around her. Investigators had used drones, forensic equipment, and a cadaver-sniffing canine, but ultimately it was the warmer,

Starting point is 00:18:32 temperatures that helped uncover her body. The snow melting, the searchers could see where the ground was dug up and the cadaver dogs helped confirm this find. Investigators had to leave Nefertiti in the shallow grave for hours to properly recover evidence without disturbing too much of her remains. Later around 5.45 p.m., her body was removed from the baseball field with investigators solemnly carrying her down the muddy hill away from the woods. Path was lined with balloons, candles, stuffed animals for the little girl. At a news briefing, on Andega County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick confirmed that they had located Nefertiti's body.

Starting point is 00:19:10 DA's shoes were still splattered with mud from the search, and he was flanked by officers who had been on the scene. They also had muddy boots and tired faces from the long overnight search for Little Nefertiti. D.A. Fitzpatrick revealed that Latasha's boyfriend Karese was also a suspect in the case, and that he had not been cooperative. The DA said it seemed that Corrice had helped Latasha bring Nefertiti to the woods and bury her. The DA said she hid the child's body somewhere else before taking her to the woods. Syracuse Police Chief Joe Cecil was visibly affected.

Starting point is 00:19:42 He also spoke at the briefing saying, Just when we think we've seen everything, something like this comes along and just punches us in the gut, punches everyone in this community in the gut, you know? The thought that continues to haunt me on this one after four years of being on this job, that this little girl likely went to her grave thinking she was the problem, that it was her fault, that she deserved this, that she was a bad child, and this is what happens to bad children. This is how it's supposed to be. Can you imagine that being a child's last thought? Nefertiti, this was not your fault. You did not deserve this. You should be in kindergarten right now, drawing pictures and playing with crayons and making friends and laughing. That's how it's supposed to be.

Starting point is 00:20:24 Chief Cecil had been a police officer for his entire. adult life. He said Nefertiti's death was the one that would stay with him forever. The Onondaga County Medical Examiner was still processing Nefertiti's body. D.A. Fitzpatrick said that if the girl's injuries are consistent with the story her mother told investigators, then her charges would remain as manslaughter. But if Nefertiti's cause of death was anything other than what Latasha confessed, new charges would be assessed. On Wednesday, the medical examiner determined that the cause of death for Nefertiti was homicide and that she died of multiple blunt force injuries.

Starting point is 00:21:07 On Thursday, March 28th, a vigil was held for Nefertiti near her body was found. Nearly 100 people showed up to mourn the little girl. Many of them carrying pink and purple balloons are adding more stuffed animals to the growing memorial for the little girl. Tanya Collins, a member of the community, said, We wanted to really celebrate her life and that she had a life and that she was important. And regardless of how she died, she had value and worth. It's a testament to not only to her, but to every other 10-year-old girl, 5-year-old girl, 11-year-old

Starting point is 00:21:40 boy, 13-year-old boy, you know, young adults. It's a testament to all of them that all lives matter. All lives matter. Individuals need to know that there is hope through love, the power of love. It's real. If you act on the power of love instead of hate, this base. would be here with us. Nefertiti's grandmother, Latasha's mother, did not attend the vigil, but she did share the statement. It hurts my heart that my daughter fell and did this. It hurts me even

Starting point is 00:22:08 more that my granddaughter is gone. Still, I will rise. I will rise for my granddaughter, and I will rise for my daughter. Latasha appeared in Syracuse City Court on Friday, March 29th, where her defense attorney asked for a mental health examination of her before proceeding. On April 11th, Latasha was ruled competent to defend herself in court, and her case is now headed to an Onondaga County grand jury, which will consider upgrading the charges against her to include homicide. On Friday, March 29th, police announced that they were charging Latasha's boyfriend, Karese, for allegedly helping to hide Nefertiti's body after her death. Karese had turned himself in on Friday morning at around 8.30 a.m., accompanied with a lawyer.

Starting point is 00:22:53 He faced a charge of disposal of a corpse, which is a Class E felony. He was released on an appearance ticket in order to return to court on April 5th. When he reappeared in court, he was formally charged with helping Latasha dispose of Nefertiti's body. The charges against him are not eligible for bail, but his criminal history meant that the judge Erica Clark had to take him into custody after his arraignment. He was to be held with no bail until he could have a bail review in Onondaga County Court. However, on Tuesday, April 9, he was released again because the bail technicality. There was conditions to Carissa's release.

Starting point is 00:23:32 He was under home confinement and wearing an ankle monitor, only allowed to leave the home for specific circumstances, such as going to work or a doctor's appointment. No further updates on Latasha or Carissa's cases are available at the time of this recording in May of 2024. We'd like to remind you that both are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law, and we'll be keeping an eye out for updates as they become available, if they become available.

Starting point is 00:24:01 On April 5th, Nefertiti's funeral was held at the Tucker Missionary Baptist Church. attendees were encouraged to wear pink and purple to honor the little girl. Neferti's godmother, Neosha, also organized a celebration of life at Dunbar Center at the south side of Syracuse. Neosha remembered Nefertiti like a daughter saying, We cuddled at night. That was my baby. Sometimes I wish I would have let her stay alive. little closer. I was like move over a little bit. Move over because she was on top of me. She talked about how the two bonded over swimming trips to the falls in Ithaca and the ocean

Starting point is 00:24:35 at Myrtle Beach. She said when they weren't out swimming, Nefertiti would be dressing up and learning dances from TikTok, she said. She was definitely a little princess, and she knew it when she was in my care and my presence with me and my family and my friends. Everyone loved her. She was devastated at Nefertiti's death. It was keeping the best memories of Neferi's. She said, she would walk up to me out of nowhere, and she would come sit on my lap and give me a hug, a kiss, then get up and walk away. It was like the sweetest thing ever. She would just walk up to me like, I love you, and she would just walk away. Niosha remembers a conversation she had with Nefertiti last year. Conversation she keeps hearing in her head. Niosha had slipped and called her Neffi instead of Tudy.

Starting point is 00:25:20 Nio said, she looked up at me. She said, my name is Tudy, not Nefert. And I felt in my core that she didn't want to be neffy. This case is still developing, and in the coming months, more details about Nefertiti's death may be revealed as court proceedings revealed new information. We do know for now is that Nefertiti was yet another child who fell through the cracks despite many, many red flags and reports to Child Protective Services. Nefertiti, as well as their siblings, were in foster homes with people who love them, who have adopted them, that they were placed back in the custody of a so-called mother

Starting point is 00:25:55 with a violent criminal history. Nefertiti could have lived a long, happy life as Tootie, with the godmother who obviously loved her so much. She could have been spending this summer, playing in the water at Myrtle Beach, basking in the sunshine and the love that she so dearly deserved. Instead, she ended up buried in a shallow grave under dirt and cold snow, alone and abandoned.

The Misery Machine - The Case of Nefertiti Harris

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