CLEVELAND — A mother is calling for justice after she says her 5-year-old daughter was beaten, abused, and traumatized.
Warning: what you're about to read may be graphic and disturbing.
When Antavia Kennibrew talks about her daughter, her face lights up.
“She literally will crack you up. Like she's so proper. The way she talks everything about her is just like bubbly,” said Kennibrew, “She is very, very affectionate, like she would just run up to you, hug you.”
But sadly, that joyful spirit has been broken.
“The bubbly 5-year-old, she was not there, no more,” said Kennibrew.
We are not naming the child or showing her face due to her age and the sensitive nature of the case.
This horrific story begins on Sept. 13. Kennibrew said she left her daughter at a family member’s home. Later that day, she received a call—her daughter was missing and had left the house on her own. By the time she arrived, her daughter was already in an ambulance.
“I could not recognize my daughter. Her hair was— it was ripped out of her head. She had blood and bruises all over her. Her nails was filled with dirt, and she was unresponsive,” Kennibrew said through tears.
Kennibrew said her daughter was taken to a wooded area where a group of children attacked her. The allegations, which include sexual assault, are too disturbing to share in detail.
“That is so evil. It's so evil. I don't understand,” she said.
News 5 reached out to Cleveland Police regarding this incident. When asked about the investigation involving the 5-year-old, they responded with the following.
“It is an active investigation that the Cleveland Division of Police is conducting at this time,” said Sgt. Freddy Diaz with Cleveland Police.
The department also confirmed that the Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit is actively investigating a case involving multiple children under the age of 10—both as victims and suspects.
“It's an active investigation, and we have to protect the rights that victims have just as well as the suspects in these cases,” said Diaz.
Kennibrew said her daughter spent about a week in the hospital, and when she finally opened her eyes, the memories came rushing back.
“She was screaming when she woke up, she said, 'They killed me.' She thought she was dead,” Kennibrew continued, “To hear your baby say that she died— what? A 5-year-old shouldn't even know that word.”
Weeks after the attack, Kennibrew said her daughter is still struggling to cope.
“She's struggling mentally and behaviorally. She says things that she never said before, more violent, more suicidal, things," said Kennibrew.
She said her focus now is on two things: helping her daughter heal and getting justice. When asked what justice looks like to her, she responded:
“Everybody involved in the pain that was inflicted on my daughter, they get what they deserve,” said Kennibrew.
As of now, no charges have been filed in this case, as Cleveland police reiterate that it is still under investigation. Kennibrew has legal representation and plans to keep fighting until she gets justice.
