Juvenile Hearing for Foster Mother in Lethbridge Case

Detroit, MI - Charlise Adams-Rogers, the foster mother of Isaac Lethbridge, who was murdered this August in her care, now claims that the injuries that caused his death were an accident.

According to assertions in juvenile court, where she is fighting termination of her parental rights to other children directly related to Isaac's death, she stated that her 12-year-old daughter was throwing Isaac on a mattress on the floor when she missed and he fell onto the floor instead.

Isaac's death was ruled a homicide in August, and the cause of death is listed as multiple blunt force trauma and burns. Adams Rogers' attorney, Marc Shreeman, asserts that Isaac got the burns in the bath, though testimony given by the emergency room pediatrician states that his burns were more likely due to steam or an object, as opposed to scalding with hot liquid.

Isaac had a broken collarbone and bruising on the right side of his head and ear, and bruises on his arms, legs, and left shoulder, as well as burns to his chest and abdomen.

Adams-Rogers states that she was home at the time of his death. Police who arrived on scene didn't get a chance to interview her because she was in the ambulance to ride to Children's Hospital of Michigan, where Isaac was pronounced dead-on-arrival. However, officer Kline testified that there were 4-8 people in the home and that no one shed a tear. He called the behavior of the 12-year-old "odd" and stated that when he arrived she was cleaning the bedroom in which Isaac was found. The officer also testified that she was throwing chicken bones, clothing, and papers into a trash bag, which interfered with the crime scene.

A pediatrician who had seen Isaac on August 4^th, and again on August 14^th, two days before his death, stated that he had seen bruising on Isaac and had tried to report it to children's protective services, but when he called them the phone just rang repeatedly and no one picked up.

The foster mother asserts that she was getting Isaac tested for a bruising disorder which would make him bruise easily, but the biological family, which has 8 other children, has no history of any type of bruising disorder.Neither Isaac nor his sister had any marks on them when they were taken into care in the fall of 2005.

No charges have yet been filed against any party in connection with Isaac's death. His parents have expressed frustration with the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office and the Detroit Police Department.