If you know of parents who are unfit to care for a child, come forward, Prince George's County State's Attorney Angela Alsobrooks said Friday as parents accused in an infant's death appeared in court.
Geneice Petty is being held on $120,000 bond in the death of her 3-month-old son, Antoine Flemons. A judge opted to hold Perry's husband, Antoine Petty, without bond. He had "a history of being more dangerous" than his wife and had failed to appear for court dates seven times previously, Alsobrooks said.
Authorities believe Antoine Petty repeatedly punched the infant on Sept. 21 in an attempt to stop him from crying. The baby lost consciousness inside an apartment in Greenbelt, Maryland, officials said.
Police believe Baby Antoine's parents placed him in their 1998 Lincoln Town Car hearse for at least 24 hours and then buried his body behind Parkdale High School in Riverdale. They then kept the baby's death a secret for weeks, court documents say.
The infant's maternal grandmother, Gail Thurston, spoke Friday amid tears in the courtroom.
"I'm a survivor of domestic violence and it impacted my family, including Geneice ... I need my daughter so we can heal," she said, calling the baby's death "a nightmare."
Antoine Petty was violent toward Geneice Petty, Thurston said. The infant's family told News4 Antoine Petty has a history of domestic violence and mental illness.
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In Prince George's County, more than a dozen children under age 3 have died in domestic homicides in the past two years. Alsobrooks encouraged county residents to speak out about violence.
"We hope that other families who are watching this won't wait until something this devastating occurs," she said.
"Any person who knew, for example, that these parents were unfit or unable to care for this baby, we would want those people to come forward and give us an opportunity to protect a child like this 3-month-old baby," she continued.
Antoine Petty was charged with murder. Geneice Petty was charged with accessory after the fact.
