Shocking, unthinkable, unfathomable. Those are just some of the words being used to describe the case against Asia Watkins. This is one of the most disturbing cases I’ve ever seen in my life. These are images that will be indelibly marked in my memory. Warning. This material contains descriptions of mental illness and traumatic events involving harm to a child.
The content may be disturbing for some viewers. This material is presented for educational purposes to understand systemic problems in mental health and child protection. Is the baby breathing? Listen, lady, the baby is deceased. Okay. Okay. All right. We’re setting up the police and an ambulance. Okay.
Okay. What do you see when you look at the child? I don’t want to describe the scene because the screen is very very bad. All right. The little lady’s little baby head is open like open open. I’m not going in there to touch anything cuz I don’t want to mess anything up.
I’m not going in there to look cuz I already seen it. But it’s not it’s very violent. It’s a very violent scene. All right. It’s very violent. All right sir. We have police and fire department responding out. Do you remember what you did with that knife? Yes. What did you do? Oh my head and then cut. Blood stained kitchen counters.
A 3-month-old baby girl, a mother lost in psychosis. In 2015, Cincinnati authorities discovered a crime scene so horrific that veteran detectives were left speechless. What followed was a devastating revelation of how multiple safety nets failed, allowing a preventable tragedy to unfold despite numerous red flags.
This is the haunting story of little Janiah Watkins and the system that failed to protect her. This story could save a child’s life. If you know someone struggling with postpartum mental health, sharing this video could be their wakeup call. Take a second to subscribe and leave a comment with your city and time.
Your engagement helps this crucial information reach those who need it most. Da Watkins was born into a troubled family. Her mother, Tina Johnson, suffered from serious mental disorders, schizopffective disorder, and depression. Da’s father, Terrence Watkins, was virtually absent from her life. He was either in prison or struggling with drug addiction.
In 1998, when Dja was just 3 years old, an incident occurred that caught the attention of child protective services. The prosecutor noted at the time, “There are strong grounds to believe that the children are in great danger. This is how Dja entered the child protection system. The next decade of her life turned into an endless chain of court hearings and movements between different families.
Da and her brother, who had different fathers, were separated. The girl was sent to live with her aunt in Cincinnati. For a short time, she had stability, but her aunt’s personal problems forced her to give up custody, and 5-year-old Dja once again felt abandoned. This trauma left a deep mark on the girl’s soul. A therapist noted that she suffered from grief and problems associated with feelings of abandonment.
During the first four years of her life, Dja barely spoke, indicating serious emotional problems. Fortunately, a longtime family friend, Barbara Owens, took Dja into her care. Owens had raised 10 children of her own and believed she could provide stability for the traumatized girl. She was smart and in many ways seemed like a normal child, but it was clear she was keeping a lot inside, Owens later recalled.
Four years later, in 2005, when it seemed that Dja’s life had finally improved, her mother Tina Johnson unexpectedly returned. She filed for restoration of custody and even accused Barbara Owens of child mistreatment. In her letter to the judge, Tina wrote, “I am a good mother. I love my children with all my heart.
I missed the bus, so I had to wait for the next one, which was an hour wait. Despite the fact that Tina regularly failed to meet court requirements, she dropped out of a drug treatment program, missed meetings for supervised visits, she continued to seek custody. The constant custody battle and pressure from relatives affected Deja. Her grades in school began to fall and she became less trusting of people, especially the women who cared for her.
In 2007, unable to withstand constant harassment from Dja’s relatives, Barbara Owens made the difficult decision to give up custody. Da packed her belongings and was sent to a shelter, then transferred to temporary custody of another relative, Michelle Johnson. Your like and subscription fuel our ability to expose these preventable tragedies.
Every new viewer we reach means another potential advocate for better mental health and child protection systems. Help us grow this community of awareness. Subscribe now and share with someone who needs to hear this. By 2014, 19-year-old Da was living with her boyfriend James Brown. She became pregnant and on December 4th, 2014 gave birth to a girl named Janiah Watkins.
Janiah was a beautiful, healthy baby with big expressive eyes and soft round cheeks. In photos, she was often dressed in bright clothes with floral patterns. In her short 3 months of life, Janiah was just beginning to discover the world, holding her little fist in her mouth or carefully examining the faces of those around her.
Barbara Owens who maintained contact with Dja recalled that she was very happy to become a mother. Dja said, “I will give my child all the love that I never had.” But the joy was short-lived. Just one month after Janiah’s birth, Dja’s behavior began to change. She started talking about demons, acting strangely and paranoid.
James noticed that she had become completely different after the birth. On January 25th, 2015, around midnight, neighbors called the police because of noise in James and Dja’s apartment. Arriving officers heard Dja screaming and the baby crying. When they threatened to break down the door, James’s cousin Chris Gully opened it. Entering the apartment, police saw Dja in a state of high agitation.
She was holding 7-week old Janiah, swaying and mumbling incoherently. When officers tried to take the baby, Dja showed aggression. The police called an ambulance. Dja was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center where after examination, she was diagnosed with postpartum psychosis, a rare and dangerous mental condition that affects approximately 1 in 1,000 mothers.
According to research, untreated postpartum psychosis carries a 4% risk of infanticide and a 5% risk of suicide. Doctors prescribed responne, a powerful antiscychotic medication, and placed her in the hospital for 72-hour observation. They warned that Dja could no longer breastfeed Janiah because of the medication.
An alarming sign, medical staff informed the social worker that she didn’t seem to understand the seriousness of the situation. On January 30th, 2015, Dja was allowed to return home, but with clear conditions, she could see Janiah only under the supervision of James or his sister, and only if she took her prescribed medication.
This was the beginning of a deadly countdown for little Janiah. The tragedy that would shock Cincinnati was just starting to unfold. While little Janiah peacefully slept in her crib, her mother’s mental state was rapidly deteriorating. The system designed to protect both mother and child failed to notice many warning signs. After the January incident, the situation looked very dangerous.
However, after discharge from the hospital, Dja was allowed to return to James’s apartment and her daughter, although she was not permitted to be alone with the child. In the first few days after her return, James noticed that Dja was not following the doctor’s orders. He reported important information to social workers. She hadn’t even gone to get her prescribed medication despite the strict requirement from doctors.
She looked like she didn’t understand the seriousness of the situation. One witness later noted. James gave Dja an ultimatum. If she wouldn’t take her medication and follow safety rules, she would have to move out. This demand provoked a strong reaction. Da screamed, cried, and claimed she had nowhere to go.
Eventually, she agreed to follow the rules, but this turned out to be an empty promise. On February 6th, 2015, a social worker unexpectedly visited their apartment. During this visit, he was unable to verify whether Deja was taking her medication. The disturbing truth was that she not only failed to fill the prescription, but was secretly continuing to breastfeed Janiah despite doctor’s prohibition.
A few weeks later, the situation only worsened. Dja moved from James’ apartment to her aunt Deborah Stewart’s house. For a short time, Janiah remained in her father’s care. On March 6th, 2015, custody proceedings began. During the hearing, it was discovered that James’ name was not on the birth certificate, which required paternity verification through DNA testing.
Dja later explained this was because James had an expired document, which prevented the hospital from putting his name on the certificate. At the same time, the court ruled that due to Dja’s mental condition and her refusal to take medication, she posed a direct threat to her child. The judge granted custody to the Department of Employment and Social Services, who in turn offered temporary guardianship to Dja’s aunt, Deborah Stewart.
The court issued strict instructions. Neither Dja nor James should have contact with the child. Deborah received clear instructions not to allow the mother in the house and to keep her away from the child without social workers supervision. The court justified its decision by stating that there is a direct risk of harm if Janiah returns to her previous environment.
Despite the court order, something unexpected happened. Just days after the court hearing, Deborah Stewart made a fateful decision. She allowed Da to move into her home. Deborah Stewart was an elderly woman with health problems, including partial blindness. It was difficult for her to care for 3-month-old Janiah on her own.
When Dja called in tears, begging for help and claiming she had nowhere to go, Deborah’s heart softened. “Please, Aunt Deb, I just have nowhere to go,” Dja cried over the phone. Not realizing the full danger. Deborah violated the court order and allowed her niece to move in. Social services didn’t know Dja had moved in with her aunt.
During a social worker’s visit to Deborah on March 12th, the aunt deliberately lied, claiming she wasn’t allowing Da to see the child. This lie became a tragic link in the chain of events leading to catastrophe. It’s important to note that the Hamilton County Department of Employment and Social Services was suffering from a 40% turnover rate among social workers and was already under scrutiny after another child’s death just weeks before this case.
These systemic problems likely contributed to the dangerous situation not being detected in time. In reality, behind closed doors, Dja not only lived with Janiah, but took full care of the child, without medication, without specialist supervision, without proper control. Hamilton County Social Services visited Janiah three times between March 6th and 13th, 2015, including a visit to her aunt’s home on March 12th when Dja was absent and a check at their office on March 13th.
The murder occurred on March 16th, just 3 days after the last check. In the last 3 days before the tragedy, all protective measures around Janiah completely collapsed. Dia, still untreated after refusing medication, was sinking deeper into psychosis, mumbling about demons, startling at invisible threats.
Meanwhile, social workers, unaware that Da had secretly moved into her aunt’s home, conducted their final check on March 13th. They asked Deborah if the mother had any contact with a child, and the elderly woman lied, assuring them the court order was being followed. By March 15th, Dja’s mental state had reached a critical point.
That night, while Janiah slept in a floral onesie, her mother’s mind finally broke. The systems last chance to intervene was missed. Just 72 hours earlier, a medication check or unexpected home visit could have changed everything. Instead, the stage for tragedy was set. Dja’s room was in disarray, reflecting the chaos in her mind.
Deborah Stewart may have noticed these warning signs, but either underestimated their seriousness or was afraid to intervene. Fatal inaction cost an innocent child her life. Every share of this video could be the critical information that helps someone recognize dangerous warning signs. Social media can save lives when it spreads the right information.
Please share now and subscribe. Together, we can prevent these heartbreaking cases through education. The morning of March 16th, 2015 began as usual in Deborah Stewart’s home. At 6:00 in the morning, a car pulled up to the house to drop off a 5-year-old family relative who usually waited there for the school bus. No one could have imagined that this ordinary day would forever change the lives of everyone involved.
Entering the house, the little boy headed to the kitchen and discovered a horrifying scene. On the kitchen counter lay the lifeless body of three-month-old Janiah Watkins. Her body was covered in blood and her head separated from her body. A large kitchen knife was clutched in the infant’s small hand.
The child ran outside in terror and called for his father, Robert Stewart, Deborah’s son. Robert immediately ran into the house and seeing the nightmarish scene, rushed to wake his mother. Deborah was sleeping in her room, unaware of what had happened in her house during the night. Mom, the baby is dead. These words, spoken by Robert, woke Deborah to a cruel reality.
In a state of shock, Deborah dialed 911. The recording of this call conveys the horror of the moment. Robert 911. Where is the address of your emergency? Somebody please send the police. My niece, baby, please. What is 597? And who were you just You were just talking to somebody. Who were you just talking to? My son.
He came over cuz I was sleep and he let his kids go to school cuz they go from my house and he seen the baby on the Oh my god, help me. Listen to me. Listen to me. I need you to stop stop crying. Okay? Stop crying. I need you to help. I need you to take a deep breath and tell me what happened. Ma’am, please send the police right away.
Ma’am, you weren’t crying when you when I heard you talking to him. You were fine. And then when I picked up, you started crying. I need you to tell me what’s going on. Ma’am, I am crying. I was outside screaming. What happened? But he keep telling me to calm down. I What happened? All I know is my son came in here and woke me up and said, “Mama, the baby’s dead.
” And I’m like, “What are you talking about? Cuz she killed this baby.” Oh, God. Okay. Why? Why are you saying she killed the baby? Because the baby is in the room here. Talk to my son. How old is the baby? the baby. Oh my god. Deborah handed the phone to Robert who was able to describe the situation more calmly.
Though his voice still shook with shock. Hello. What happened? Police. I don’t know. This house is big. I don’t know where my little cousin at. So, can you please Where is the 3-month old baby? B. The lady. The baby is on my mama’s kitchen counter with his head smashed. Now, I need you to please send me. Okay.
Is it a male or female? I know where my little cousin is at. Now, if this little girl pop up with a weapon, I’m not going to have a little cousin no more. So, can you please just I know I know it’s probably Can you please send the police? Okay, we I need to know what happened to the baby. I don’t know what happened to the baby.
I came into the house. She told you we came into the house. The baby was on the counter. My mom was in the bed asleep. I woke my mom up and we calling you. That’s all I know. I don’t know nothing else. I have a little cousin. She was here. I don’t know. Okay. Okay. Okay. Listen to me. Listen to me. Is the baby breathing? Listen, lady, the baby is deceased.
Okay. Okay. All right. We’re setting the police and an ambulance. Okay. Mama, what is your name, sir? Mama. Hello. What is your name? I’m Robert Stewart. And who is the mother of the child? Huh? Who is the mother? Dasia. What is the Asia last name? watching. Is she there right now? No, I don’t know where she’s at.
That’s the problem. I don’t know where this little girl is at. I don’t even know if she in this house. It’s a It’s a big house, lady. Please. I’m not I don’t want to look for it. I don’t want to look for her. So, if you please, please send the police. Listen to me, sir. We already have the run started. Okay. All right.
So, no one has any idea what happened to the child. Listen, lady. You can I cannot explain to you what happened cuz I do not know. Nobody knows. It happened sometime in the middle of the night. Okay. Can you What What do you see when you look at the child? Child look this lady. I don’t want to describe the scene.
The screen is very very bad. All right. The little lady the little baby head is open. Like open open. I I’m not going in there to touch nothing because I don’t want to mess nothing up. I’m not going in there to look because I already seen it. But it’s not it’s very violent. It’s a very violent thing. All right.
It’s very violent. All right, sir. We have police and fire department responding out. The first two police officers arrived at the scene within minutes. One immediately went to the kitchen where he confirmed the death of little Janiah. The second officer found Deborah in the bathroom, sobbing and repeating, “Lord, they’re going to put me in jail.
” Then the police began to inspect the rest of the house. In one of the bedrooms, they discovered Dja Watkins. She was lying in her bed, covered with a blanket, only her hair visible. The room was in complete disarray. The officers pulled back the blanket and saw that Deja’s clothes and hands were covered with dried blood.
Silently, they handcuffed her and led her into the hallway where she remained under the supervision of another officer who had arrived. What investigators discovered in the kitchen shocked even experienced officers. Janiah’s body was mutilated beyond recognition. Medical examiner Dr. Lakshmi Samarco later confirmed that the child had suffered multiple injuries, including 15 wounds inflicted by a kitchen knife, a broken right arm, and decapitation.
Blood covered the floor, walls, and kitchen counter. This level of cruelty to a defenseless infant shocked even veteran detectives. The family couldn’t stay in the house during the investigation, so everyone was transported to the criminal investigation department where they were placed in interrogation rooms. Video recordings show a striking contrast between Deborah and Da.
Deborah Stewart was inconsolable. In the interrogation video, she sobbed, screamed, and repeated, “They might as well just kill me, Robert.” Her son tried to comfort his crying mother, “You didn’t do anything wrong.” Deborah’s screams were so loud they could be heard in the next room where Dja was waiting to be questioned.
But Dja’s reaction was shockingly different. Police video shows her humming to herself. She showed no emotions, no grief, no remorse, no fear. Her behavior was almost childlike, detached. Despite all the detectives attempts, including reading Dja her rights, she remained completely unresponsive. She didn’t speak, barely moved, and didn’t react to questions.
Detectives tried different approaches from gentle conversation to stern questioning, but nothing could break through her state. I know that was humiliating, and I’m sorry that we had to do that. Um, but it’s just part of what we have to do. Okay. Um, like I said, you know, there’s only so much help that we can offer you to work with you, but we kind of have to work together, okay? We we know that something bad happened and we can move past that.
Okay? We deal with bad things happening all the time. Okay? This is probably the first time that it’s happened to you, but we deal with this kind of stuff every day almost, okay? So, we know different routes to take to be able to help you, okay? We also know a little bit about you, okay? that you didn’t have the easiest childhood yourself and that when you become a mom after what you went through growing up, it’s hard and we know that.
It’s hard for anybody, okay? And we talk to people that love you and care about you and want to see you get past this. People still love you. They don’t hate you. Nobody hates you, okay? And we know that things happen, especially in pregnancy, when the hormones start. Once you have the baby, those hormones don’t stop.
Your body’s still going through a lot of changes and it makes it makes your mind think differently than before. And we understand that too. But I can’t help you. I can’t help you unless we talk. I can only imagine what’s going through your mind right now, but I don’t just want to assume what you’re thinking. Okay? We all make mistakes. Okay? Titty.
Titty. Was this your first child? your daughter. Is there anybody that you’d like to talk to that I can get for you? What about her dad? Are you and the baby’s dad still together? Drink some of that water. It’ll help with that. Well, like I was saying, you know, we
know that something bad happened today and we can’t change that, but we do have an opportunity to have an effect on what happens from here on out with you. Okay. How do we get a hold of the baby’s father? Do you don’t you think he’d like to know what happened? How do you want us to explain it to him? How does it make you feel? You feel bad about what happened? You’re supposed to go to court this Thursday for the baby.
Is that true? Dei, is this you? That’s you, right? This isn’t the girl that I’m looking at right now. Look at your picture. What happened to you? Di help explain what happened to you so that we can help other people in your position. You can close your eyes and stay quiet all you want.
It’s not going to change what happened today. It still happened and we’re still going to have to deal with it. whether you’re sitting here or sitting somewhere else. Where were you going to go from here today? I can’t tell if you’re faking or if you’re really upset. I’m not really sure. Are you trying to get us just to feel bad for you? Do you feel good about yourself about what happened this morning? Are you happy for what happened? It’s like a relief of stress for you.
You don’t have to worry about that baby no more. I mean, you weren’t sitting like this a few hours ago. So, it’s not like this is a permanent state with you. And you were aware enough that you didn’t spit in your own hand. So, I have a hard time believing that you’re not hearing us and understanding what we’re saying. Do you remember what happened this morning? I can show you pictures if you’d like.
You want to see pictures from this morning? Are you hoping that if you just close your eyes long enough that everything will just go away? Is there something you do want to talk about? Anything? What’s the baby’s dad? James. Janiah. Janiah. Oh, the baby’s dad. Yeah. James, I think. I don’t know. Is it James? Is that the baby dad? Do you think he’d like somebody to call him and tell him? You think most people would want to know if something happened to one of their kids? Did you love Janiah Dee or was there too much going on that you couldn’t even love her? So, what
what I’m seeing right now is is a cold-hearted person sitting here and won’t even talk about their own daughter to have no reaction at all. The only reaction you’ve shown since you’ve been here today is when you had to get undressed. We’re not in a huge hurry. So, if you want to keep sitting here, we can.
I mean, you can just sit there. Just not say anything. and keep your eyes closed. Keep making little baby bubbles with your mouth. There’s going to be a lot of stuff that happens from here today. It’s going to kind of be timeconuming, but I can’t really fill you in on them without talking to you about him first.
It would be kind of nice to talk to you so we would know if you did actually need our help or if you’re just sitting here and you’re full of [ __ ] cuz we’ve been doing this a long time and neither one of us could tell if you’re just faking this act or not. Because if you’re not and you really need help with something, there are ways to help and there are things we can do for you, but we have to know one way or the other.
You have to give us some type of acknowledgement. Your aunt Deborah is so worried about you right now. It’s the first thing she asks. How’s Dee? Is Dee okay? But you’re not the only one that has to live with this. Your aunt Deborah has to live with this, too, because it was her house that she doesn’t want to go back to.
And the only person she’s concerned about is you. Despite everything, she’s still concerned about you. Despite all the health problems that she’s had lately, she put all that aside to come here and check on you. And she feels like this is her responsibility. Is it her fault? Hm. Dei, is this Deborah’s fault? Does she need to have this weighing on her for the rest of her life? Or can you answer some things for her? Well, yeah.
After 6 hours of unsuccessful attempts to get any information, Dja was transferred to a psychiatric unit for treatment and observation. 3 days later, on March 19th, she was returned to the police station for a second interrogation. During the second interrogation, Da exhibited completely different behavior.
She was more animated and responded to the detective’s questions. Once you got to the kitchen, what what happened once you got there? Mhm. Where did you get the knife from? The kitchen. We’re at in the kitchen. In a knife spot. Was there a specific reason you grabbed that knife? No. scraps. Do you remember what you did with that knife? Yes.
What did you do? I stabbed all my head and I and then cut. What made you do that? I don’t know. You don’t know? No. Do you remember if something started in the bedroom that upset you? Yeah. I don’t know. You don’t know? After what did you do with the knife after that? Put it in her hand. Was there a reason that you did that? Yes.
Why did you put it in her hand? So it look like she did it. So it would look like she did it. Yes. And when you went back to your room, how how did that blood in there get all over your room? It was like on your walls, your door. Yeah. I started it off in there first. You started in there first? Yes. Started stabbing in there first or No, I threw her across the room. Mhm.
I bang their head against the wall. Mhm. I pick something up and I just hair. You had a ribbon. It was a really long stick. A long stick. Yeah. A long stick. Okay. I didn’t real time. Okay. Three times you threw her or three times you hit her? Three times with the stick, right? That’s when I ran in the kitchen. Once you started stabbing her, what made you think you needed to cut her head off after that? She wouldn’t die.
She wouldn’t die. How do you know she wasn’t dead? Cuz she kept breathing and She kept what? Breathing and moving around. She kept breathing and moving around even after you were stabbing her. Yes. Do you remember how many times you stabbed her? Three times. You stabbed her three times? Yes. Okay. When you went back into your bed and laid down, do you remember the police coming in? You heard police come in? Yes.
What were they saying to you? Nothing. Nothing. When they came and got you out of your bed, they just told me to lay down in my bed. It was it was time. And then do you remember coming down here after that? Yes. And we sat we were in a different room, but we sat in that other room in another officer and we talked to you for a while. Yes.
Do you remember what we were saying to you? Yes. Okay. Was there a reason you wouldn’t talk to us then? Yeah. Do you remember when we took your clothes? Yes. What did we put you in after we took your clothes? Some type of bodysuit. Like a bodysuit? Yes. Do you remember crying then? Yes. What made you cry then? Hey James.
So you were crying because you were in trouble? Yes. Okay. Do you regret what you did? Do you feel bad about what you did to Janiah? No. Why don’t you feel bad? Just don’t. You just don’t. Do you blame Janiah for something? No. No. No. What made you want to kill her? I don’t I don’t know. Do you think you could have just given her to James instead? Yes. I get in contact with him.
Couldn’t get in contact with him? No. Okay. Um, when you were changing her diaper, what happened next? Is that when you got mad at her or that’s when you threw her or what happened then? Yes, that’s why I threw it. So, shoveling her diaper, kept crying. I took Janiah going to change her diaper. He kept screaming and then I didn’t get to change it.
So I just th I walked over there and picked her up and banging her head and get bookshelf four times. Then after she died in picked up the big old stick and hit her in the head four times. She wasn’t dying fast enough. So I took her in my arm. I ran as fast as I could. Not as fast, but I did. And when I did, took the night on stabbed in her head, told her to die, die, stabbed me in the eye, she still touching, just cut her neck.
How many times did you cut to get her neck several until they sliced off? Was it one or two or three? After the murder, Da simply returned to her room and went to sleep. Hamilton County prosecutor Joe Detur later described this as one of the most disturbing cases I’ve ever seen in my life.
I just wanted to update you all on uh the case of Dasia Watkins. Um so woman 20 years old with no record and um we expect to present this case to a grand jury early next week. Judge Kubiki has the case, Barry Kubiki. And um at this point in time, I do not anticipate seeking a death penalty specification on this because it has been pretty clear to the officers involved that um she is suffering from uh some serious mental issues.
If that changes after some analysis by uh some doctors, we can always go back to the grand jury and and change the charges. This is uh and I’m going to turn this over to Dr. Samarco here in a second, but this is um this is one of the most disturbing cases I’ve ever seen in my life. Um it’s a good reason to retire at some point.
And um um I will I want to say one further thing that’s very important. The jobs and family services people did their job. The mother was ordered not to be with this baby and the aunt who had custody of the child permitted the mother to come and live with her for approximately one week before this happened.
Everyone in this county we’ve dealt with these cases. I mean since Marcus Fisizel and all these other cases that we’ve dealt with in terms of taking care of children who are neglected, this child was ordered removed from the mother and the father. Uh JFS always pushes to try to find a family family member who can take care of the kid. Whether or not this aunt was the right choice, I think obviously it wasn’t because she permitted the mother to come live with her and um this horrific tragedy ensued.
But the bottom line is no one has the resources to monitor a mother and a neglected child 24/7. they just don’t they did what they had to do and um unfortunately this occurred. I’m going to turn this over to Dr. Samarco right now. Um the nature of the injuries of this baby obviously were horrific and um doctor you want to say a few words? I know you’ve all asked uh repeatedly in the last 24 hours and I haven’t really wanted to address the injuries um directly, but um these are images that will be indelibly marked in my memory and I feel
for the whole family of what they’re going through. But there were um multiple stab wounds to the right side of the face and head. Um there was a fractured right arm. And as most of you have already been implying, and I think some of the neighbors have said, the head was severed from the body. Um and uh it’s a three-month-old baby girl.
So it was pretty horrific. Pretty horrific sight. Any questions? Doctor, the official cause of death on the child. If you’re ask that’s a manner of death, but as far as the co I mean, if you’re asking me specifically, what are we going to put that in that certificate? We’re going to have to talk about it.
But obviously, uh, decapitation is going to be a word that we’re going to be using. Uh, does the uh, aunt face any charges at this point? We’re we’re still looking at that right now. Um, those are very difficult charges to prosecute. Um, the order went to the mother, not to the aunt, that she could not see the child. But I wouldn’t rule anything out.
One of the problems is, is uh uh we discussed is if we charge the ant, we lose a very valuable witness. So, we’ll see where it goes. When was the last contact that when was the last contact that was made by JFS with this family prior to this all being discovered? I don’t know that, Tom, but um we’re going to find out.
The social worker who who was doing this case um is, as you can expect, very upset and um um actually called our office today. We’ll we’ll find out. It’s it at first blush it looks like JFS did their job exactly how they should have, but you don’t have the resources to be in the house 24/7.
You know, and I don’t want to sit here and expound on this, but I can’t help but think that sometimes orphanages are a good thing. And when you have family members who can’t care for a child and they keep pushing these kids into these families um that aren’t caring for them, uh everyone wants to think orphanages are horrible, but my gosh, we see these cases all the time.
What was the timeline in what was the timeline in when JFS gave custody to the aunt and when this happened? How long was the child there before this occurred? I think it was about a month. And my understanding from homicide is that the um mother was living with a boyfriend and moved from that home back into into college hill with her aunt.
And you know, the details of this case are so sickening. Um, three children were normally dropped off to to catch a bus from this aunt’s house. And another relative would drop them off cuz they caught their bus to go to school. And the kids actually, the 5-year-old actually found the body on the kitchen uh table, not table, I’m sorry, counter. Counter.
Thank you. Joe, you mentioned there were mental problems, some mental uh past. Can you describe in greater detail what the what these situations were? How did they stem? How did they begin with this uh with this woman? Well, you know, one of the things that was notable uh to the homicide detectives who I just met with was I think you all have a driver’s license picture of her, something like that. She doesn’t look like that at all.
She’s totally disheveled. Uh she’s not taking care of herself. But I also have to note she has no record at all. So the if she has a mental illness, the onset of this occurred recently and very rapidly. The court documents we’ve gotten take a look at and say postpartum depression was something she was being had been diagnosed for and was being treated for.
and she if she took the medication uh there might be a lessening of that problem. What can you comment on that? Well, I think that’s correct and what’s happening now um she is under guard at Deaconist Hospital and um if they can get her medication they want to talk to her because she’s not talking at all. But you have look you have to many of you have covered this office for many years.
Um you it’s hard for me not to have sympathy for someone who has this kind of mental illness that they would come to the level where they behead their 3-month-old baby and we have seen everything but this this is uh beyond description. Yeah. postpartum depression is a is a real entity and um if that is you know what she was being treated for and she’s within that range you know the baby was only 3 months old and you have to u there’s a lot that goes on in your body after you have a baby and being a mother I can tell you I mean there’s there’s a
lot of lot of things that happen hormone changes to lack of sleep and everything else so um if there’s an underlying me mental illness on top of that you you know, it just it just really exponentially increases. But there are a lot of women over time who have had postpartum depression. A lot of women who have dealt with it.
A lot of women who haven’t risen to the level of their actions in this particular case. Uh every case is different and every mother is different and I think that’s what we have to realize is that you know you don’t know what triggers um somebody to do what they do and you have you weren’t in our heads. You don’t know.
And I mean, I don’t know what she was going through, but I’m sure it was an incredible trauma for her. Clinically, what is postpartum depression? Just for a definition of it, it’s basically a clinical depression that occurs um shortly following birth. And um with a lot of women that experience it at varying levels, you know, to a minor degree or to a greater degree, many of them don’t need medication or uh further psychiatric care.
And it’s sort of self-limited for a lot of women. and it usually resolves. For some women, it takes a little bit longer. Records indicated was postpartum psychosis. Is that significantly different from um from postpartum depression? I mean, is Eric, can you talk? Well, I’m not a psychiatrist. You are a doctor. I am a neuroraiologist.
Um but there there are elements that are different. Yes, there are elements that are different. What if any role has the father played in uh the care of this child of being around that sort of thing? We see a lot of cases where there the father is completely out of the picture. Joe, what do you know about that? That’s the picture including we can’t find him.
And when you know the result based on him not being around and the postpartum depression or the postpartum psychosis, what do you see? What do you say about that? Because we’ve seen this time and time again. Maybe not in this extent, but no two parent homes, single parent homes, people trying to cope with illnesses, with financial situations they really can’t uh can’t manage.
You know, we’ve had many cases where, you know, we have a boyfriend in the home and there’s just great animosity towards the children that are there that aren’t theirs. Um, I we just don’t know the role that may have played in this case where the boyfriend breaks up with the with the mom and then what kind of rage she has towards that baby. We just don’t know yet.
Until she gets in front of some doctors and talks, it’s going to be very difficult to know what her motivation was. But no matter what the motivation was, it’s the crime itself is so horrific that no one’s going to be able to explain this to kill your own child like this. You mentioned there’s not likely to be any uh the JFS did not do anything wrong, at least what you know right now.
What is their protocol in terms of when they are supposed to be looking in on cases that they have? Is there a regular schedule like weekly or monthly? It’s usually weekly. It’s usually weekly to make sure that they’re complying with the court order. The court order said neither parent should be with this child unless supervised.
And clearly that was not the case here. The aunt permitted the mother to live in that same home and that’s when the event took place. Is there anybody else culpability wise? is I mean you say the aunt you may not charge her because you’d lose a witness. Is there anybody else that could face any uh action or charges in this case? I don’t think so.
No, I mean it’s inexplicable. I mean the whole thing is just so bad and um I feel bad for the kids that found the body. I mean it’s really do too cuz I can’t imagine the nightmares they’re having. There are relatives that were dropped off after school. No, before school. Before it was in the morning and when they found the baby.
Can Can you Yeah. Can you uh kind of go over the day of how this all played out? Um a as was she home alone with the baby? The aunt had gone or what what happened? Yeah, they were the aunt was asleep and um the kids were dropped off to catch their bus. uh a 5-year-old found the body on that kitchen counter and uh came out running to the father who dropped him off.
And I don’t know the relationship of the father to this aunt, but I understand they were related some way. He had to be at work earlier than the bus was going to be there. So, he dropped him at the house and um that’s when it all transpired. When was the actual I guess like when did the I’m sorry I think so I think the uh call came
in at 6 a.m. or about 6:00 a.m. our office was informed um slightly before 8:00 a.m. And when I got the call I didn’t I got the details my How many of you know me to be speechless? So, I was speechless. Um, and um, I had to have them repeat it. I said, “What? What did you just say?” And then they had to repeat it. And um, anyway, our our people were on the scene as quickly as possible within within 20 minutes.
The mother was found in a bed um in that household uh literally covered with blood. There was a knife recovered or a device recovered. The knife was actually placed in the baby’s hand. What size knife? Do you know the size? I don’t know the size of it. It It was a large chef’s knife. Chef’s knife. Thank you everybody.
The sentencing in this case reveals how justice struggles with mental illness. Hit subscribe before we continue. Your support helps us create more content that exposes these critical gaps in our systems. Together, we’re building awareness that could prevent another child from suffering Janiah’s fate. Initially, Dja didn’t admit her guilt, claiming insanity.
The judge ordered her to undergo treatment and postponed the court hearing for 6 months. In September 2015, she was deemed competent to stand trial. During court proceedings, Dja was seen with a blank stare, almost unresponsive to what was happening around her. Her lawyer claimed she didn’t understand what was going on. On February 23rd, 2017, after two years spent at the Summit Behavioral Health Center in Roselon, Ohio, Dja Watkins pleaded guilty to murder, not aggravated murder, to avoid life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. She
had previously rejected a plea deal just months earlier. At her sentencing, she told the judge, “I loved my daughter very much. I loved her regardless of what anyone says. I love my daughter very much and her name’s Janiah Wagness and I love her regardless of what anybody say. Judge Megan Shanahan described the crime as unspeakable and expressed grief over the loss of such a young life.
Dja was sentenced to 15 years in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years. The tragedy of Janiah Watkins exposed serious systemic deficiencies. Prosecutor deters indicated that social services formally followed protocol. They followed court orders, found a relative for custody, and conducted checks.
However, social workers didn’t know that Dja had secretly moved into her aunt’s house about a week before the murder, and they failed to verify whether Dja had received her prescription medications, which was a direct violation of the court order. The Hamilton County Department of Employment and Family Services implemented a series of reforms after this tragedy, including reducing the workload for individual social workers and increasing attention to mental health issues.
These measures show how preventable this tragedy was. Regarding Aunt Deborah, the prosecutor considered filing charges against her, but decided not to. The order was addressed to the mother, not the aunt. Deters explained. Additionally, Deborah was an important witness and there was no evidence she knew what was happening that night.
This case highlighted an important aspect of mental health that needs more attention. Postpartum psychosis. This is a serious condition that requires immediate medical intervention. Statistics show that approximately 1 in 1,000 young mothers suffers from this disorder. And without treatment, the risk of infanticide is about 4%. with a 5% risk of suicide.
Symptoms of postpartum psychosis include confusion, delusions, and hallucinations, severe mood swings, paranoid thoughts, loss of connection with reality. Experts emphasize that early detection and treatment can prevent tragic consequences. Many mothers suffering from postpartum psychosis fully recover with proper treatment.
In Deja’s case, there were many warning signs. Her strange behavior, talks about demons, paranoid claims. All of this required a rapid response. Her refusal to take medication was a critical point that required decisive action. Ultimately, Janiah’s death was the result of a whole chain of system failures, lack of resources for mothers with mental health problems, and misunderstanding of the seriousness of such conditions.
Janiah Watkins was buried in a small white coffin. The funeral was quiet, without cameras or outsiders, only a few grieving relatives. The church was filled with a heavy silence broken only by quiet sobs. This 3-month-old girl, who was never destined to say her first words or take her first steps, became a symbol of the need to improve the social protection system, psychiatric care, and support for young mothers.
This tragic event should serve as a reminder of the importance of mental health, especially in the postpartum period, and the need for timely intervention at the first signs of problems. Only through education, awareness, and systemic changes, can we prevent similar tragedies in the future. Thank you for watching this episode.
If you want to help spread information about the importance of early detection of postpartum mental disorders, please share this video with your friends. It might help save someone’s life. Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel and hit the bell to not miss new episodes.
Disclaimer : This content may be created by AI for entertainment purposes. Any resemblance to real persons, events, or places is coincidental.
