Two-year-old Ja'mari Madkins was killed somewhere along International Boulevard in Oakland, California, around December 23, 2022. His body was transported approximately 60 miles north and buried in a shallow grave in rural Napa County. The investigation began when San Pablo police conducted a traffic stop and found the child's 17-year-old mother — who had been reported missing from Fairfield — in a car with 21-year-old Keonte Harris, who had been sex-trafficking and pimping the minor mother on Oakland's streets. Harris was charged with human trafficking, pimping, and pandering, but no one was charged with the child's killing. The cause of death had not been determined at the time of reporting.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
The KTVU article identifies Keonte Harris, 21, as the boyfriend and pimp of the boy's 17-year-old mother, stating "The boy's mother began dating the 21-year-old man in late September." The ABC7 article reports that "a person connected to the death was identified and arrested with the help of San Pablo police." However, the KTVU article clarifies: "no one has been charged in connection with Ja'mari's slaying." Harris was detained in relation to the case and charged with human trafficking, pimping, and pandering, but his direct role in the child's death remains unclear.
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
The ABC7 article states that "a person connected to the death was identified and arrested with the help of San Pablo police." The SFist article confirms "an individual has been arrested in connection with the boy's death." However, the KTVU article clarifies that "no one has been charged in connection with Ja'mari's slaying" and that Harris was instead "charged by Alameda County prosecutors with human trafficking of a minor, pimping and pandering." So while someone was arrested in connection with the death investigation, no murder or child abuse charges were actually filed for the death itself.
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The KTVU article states that the boy's 17-year-old mother "told police he'd grab her by the arm and choke her," referring to Keonte Harris, 21, who was the mother's pimp and boyfriend. Harris was living with the mother and child, making this domestic violence by a caregiver figure.
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
The KTVU article states that Harris and the boy's 17-year-old mother had been "living in his car or in a motel, authorities said in court records" over the past month. The Lipstickalley/Mercury News article similarly notes "the man and the teen girl had been living in the man's vehicle and at a Stockton motel." Since the child was killed along International Boulevard in Oakland where the mother was being trafficked, it is implied the child was present during this period of homelessness/temporary housing.
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Several substantive details are present that were not addressed by the preceding questions. The KTVU article reveals that the child's 17-year-old mother was being sex-trafficked by Keonte Harris, 21, of Antioch, who was "pimping the boy's mother on the streets of Oakland." Harris was charged with human trafficking of a minor, pimping, and pandering, but critically, "no one has been charged in connection with Ja'mari's slaying." The child's body was transported approximately 60 miles from Oakland and buried in a shallow grave in Napa County. The Lipstickalley/Mercury News article notes that "Armstrong said that the Alameda County Department of Children and Family Services did not appear to have had any prior involvement with the child," and that this was "the 117th death investigated as a homicide by Oakland police in 2022." These details about the child sex trafficking context, the lack of murder charges, and the disposal of the body are significant contextual factors for understanding this case.
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