Police in Illinois allegedly mistook the ashes of a grieving dad’s 2-year-old daughter for drugs, according to reports.
“No, no, no, bro, that’s my daughter!” said Dartavius Barnes on video from a Springfield police bodycam, obtained by WICS, the Springfield ABC affiliate. Barnes was pulled over last year, and is now suing the Springfield police department and the Illinois city.
Police, who were searching Barnes’ vehicle for drugs, opened a cylinder containing the child’s ashes and scattered them on the ground during the search, court records say.
Barnes’ daughter, Ta’Naja, died Feburay 2019 after police found her unresponsive and wrapped in a urine-soaked blanket, according to WICS. The toddler had been neglected and starved in the days leading up to her death, according to authorities.
The girl’s mother, T’wanka Davis and her boyfriend were found guilty of her murder and sentenced to decades in prison.