Rodricus F. Williams 2, missing 7/6/10 Charleston SC (Dad arrested) (BODY FOUND)

[Nut44x4]

Updated: Jul 07, 2010 2:09 PM EDT
2-year-old boy not in water, but still missing; Father arrested

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) -  Charleston police have called off the search for a missing 2-year-old boy near the Battery in downtown Charleston. The boy is still missing, but police say he did not fall in the water as originally reported.

Police said Tuesday afternoon they had called off their investigation and would be providing assistance to other Lowcountry law enforcement agencies as the search for the missing boy.

Police said they do not believe that 2-year-old Rodricus Fred Williams fell into the water at the Battery and called off the search just before 7 a.m. Wednesday.

Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen said that the child was never at or even near the battery and that police have confirmed that it was made up.

Summerville police have arrested the child's father, 28-year-old Roger Williams. He had the boy the past two months and was supposed to return the child to his mother Tuesday night. The boy's parents are in a custody battle.

Williams has four outstanding warrants for his arrest and police said he is not cooperating with authorities as they search for his son. Police say they still do not know where the child is.

The search for 2-year-old Williams began near the Battery area of downtown Charleston Tuesday night. The boy was reported missing around 7:35 p.m. Initial reports suggested the boy had fallen over the Battery wall.

Williams is described as a 2-year-old black boy with twists in his hair. He was last seen wearing a red shirt, blue jean shorts and black shoes.

"There is no confirmation the boy fell in the water," said Public Information Officer Mark Ruppel.

The search on water was suspended earlier Wednesday morning, but resumed at 6 a.m. Volunteers and search crews continued the land search on foot through the evening and early-morning hours.

The Charleston County Volunteer Rescue Squad, Charleston City Police, the Department of Natural Resources, the Coast Guard and the Charleston County Sheriff's Office are all involved in the search. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the FBI are also involved.

A reverse 911 call was sent out to everyone living on the Peninsula on Tuesday night, which said that if you see the boy, please call 911 immediately.

For more information on the developing story including updates on the search, and new video, stay with Live5News.com.

http://www.wistv.com/global/story.asp?s=12763964

[Nut44x4]

REPORT: Missing toddler found dead in trash barrel in Orangeburg County
7.7.10
The Orangeburg Times and Democrat is reporting law enforcement found the body of 2-year-old Rodricus Williams in Bowman Wednesday afternoon.

The article says, “investigators went into a wooded area where they said they discovered a body inside a cement-filled trash barrel behind a vacant mobile home.“

Charleston Police called off the search that started in the Battery of Downtown Charleston around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. That’s where the woman who was supposed to meet the child’s mother at a Burger King in North Charleston claimed she ended up, and the child vanished.

Rescue crews saturated the Battery area by land, air, and water.

The parents of Rodricus were locked in a custody battle, and police arrested 28-year-old Roger Williams in Summerville just after 4 a.m. Wednesday morning. Officers said he refused to cooperate. Williams is still behind bars for bench warrants.

Rescue crews saturated the Battery again at 6 a.m. by land, air, and water.

However, just before 7 a.m. Wednesday Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen told reporters the child was never near the Battery and that portion of the search ended.

A few hours later, Charleston Police relinquished control of the investigation and search.

We are expecting a news conference in Berkeley County around 5 p.m.

Check back for more information.

http://www2.counton2.com/cbd/news/local/article/report_body_of_missing_toddler_found_in_trash_barrel_in_orangeburg_county/153313/

[Nut44x4]

7/8/2010 1:47 PM
SC boy's remains buried in concrete in trash bin

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press Writer

A man and his girlfriend were charged Thursday in the death of a toddler whose remains were found buried in 400 pounds of concrete in a trash can, after police said the couple concocted a story about the child falling into a river near a popular tourist destination.
 
Roger Williams, 29, and Grace Nichole Trotman were charged with homicide by child abuse after an autopsy revealed the concrete held the body of a young black boy matching a description the couple had given Charleston police for Williams' missing son, Berkeley County Sheriff Wayne DeWitt said.
 snipped.........
http://www.ksro.com/news/article.aspx?id=2372830

[Nut44x4]

Smart move!!!


Bond Denied For Couple Charged In Charleston Boy's Death

Updated July 8, 8:08 p.m.

The two suspects charged with homicide by child abuse in the case of Rodricus Williams, appeared before a bond court judge Thursday evening. Roger Williams and Grace Trotman were denied bond.

According to court documents, Roger Williams was away from his home when contacted by Trotman, regarding on going medical issues with the child. Williams told Trotman not to notify the health care provider about any information regarding medical issues with the child. Documents also say after the defendant returned home to Berkeley County, he refused to contact health care providers for ths child, which lead to the death of the child.

The documents also say that Trotman failed in her duties to render aid or healthcare, during the time leading to the child’s death.

Both will appear in court again on September, 17.

http://www2.wspa.com/news/2010/jul/08/12/girlfriend-missing-toddlers-father-arrested-lowcou-ar-528391/

[Nut44x4]

Posted on Fri, Jul. 9, 2010

Missing SC boy buried in concrete; dad arrested

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. - As the fruitless search was on for a missing 2-year-old boy with an infectious smile, authorities believe that all along he was buried under 400 pounds of concrete in a trash can.

The boy's father and his girlfriend were arrested Thursday, two days after the couple concocted a story about the boy falling into the Charleston Harbor near a popular tourist destination, authorities said.

The body was wrapped in 32-gallon trash bags encased in concrete in a bin so heavy a farmer had to hoist it onto a county vehicle using a backhoe.

Authorities are awaiting DNA to confirm that it is Rodricus Williams, but they left little doubt they believe it is by charging Roger Williams and Grace Nichole Trotman with homicide by child abuse.

Police are still trying to figure out how the boy was killed, but Berkeley County Sheriff Wayne DeWitt said he had been beaten in the past and they were serving a hospital with search warrants to get more information on the treatment he received.

"During interviews, there was some talk about the child being struck on occasions," DeWitt said. "Our interpretation is, it was not by accident."

The saga started late Tuesday, Rodricus was reported missing to Charleston police. A woman said he possibly slipped through the railing at the Battery downtown, a tourist area and Civil War site known for its antebellum homes on the city's peninsula. The boy's mother was supposed to pick up Rodricus there, but police said he was never even in the area.

Officials and rescuers searched the historic harbor into the night by boat and helicopter, calling on nearly a dozen agencies to scour the sea and land for any sign of Rodricus. The boy's father, Roger Williams, and his girlfriend, Grace Nichole Trotman, seemed to cooperate at first.

By 5 a.m. Wednesday, the search was abruptly called off. Later that day, interviews with Williams and Trotman led them to an abandoned mobile home in a rural area some 55 miles northwest of Charleston, where the remains were uncovered.

Trotman has been cooperating with police while Williams has given investigators false information, DeWitt said.

Trotman has been charged by Charleston police with filing a false report and her bond was set at $250,000. Another judge denied bond for both on the more serious charges later Thursday.

Williams had stopped speaking with police and asked for a lawyer. He did not qualify for a public defender and it was unclear if he had an attorney yet. Trotman did qualify for a public defender but it was unclear if one had been assigned.

Police think Rodricus was killed in Trotman's quiet neighborhood in Summerville, about 30 miles northwest of Charleston.

Norm Reece, who lives across the street, said Trotman had rented the one-story, vinyl-sided home for less than a year. Reece said she kept to herself and was often seen with Rodricus and her two other small children.

"She was very private," Reece said. "It's just a shock."

Deputies walked along the neighborhood streets Thursday, asking about the couple. Reece said he saw deputies remove several evidence bags from Trotman's home.

"It just can't be understood," said Reece, shaking his head. "A 2-year-old, innocent child , if you don't want them, give them to social services. Don't kill them."

http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/nation_world/98093354.html?cmpid=15585797

[darla]

Thanks Nut for posting about Rodricus. I live is S.C. and had heard this on my local news. From what was said in a news conference on Thursday afternoon, they have no idea exactly how long he has been dead. Just that the body was badly decomposed. We have had about 18-20 days in June and July with temps over a 100.
There has to be a special level in hell for people who harm children.

[Nut44x4]

Being encased in concrete, the weather wouldn't be a factor.

Funeral arrangements made for 2-year-old Rodricus Williams
Updated: Jul 12, 2010 10:21 AM EDT
CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - Funeral services for 2-year-old Rodricus Fred Williams will be held at noon Tuesday in Ebenezer A.M.E. Church.

The tragic story that started with reports that the boy was missing after falling in the Battery in downtown Charleston will continue when Williams is laid to rest in Monrovia Cemetery.

The boy was never in the water and his father, 28-year-old Roger Williams, and the father's live-in girlfriend, 24-year-old Grace Nichole Trotman, are in jail after being charged with homicide by child abuse last week.

According to an affidavit, Trotman admitted to an FBI agent that "she made up the missing child story to cover up an incident in which great bodily harm to the child occurred."

According to Roger Williams' affidavit, he acknowledged the boy had an ongoing health condition that needed to be monitored. However, when Rodricus Williams fell ill, he instructed Trotman not to contact health care providers. He admitted to investigators he did not call for medical help either.

After the boy allegedly died, authorities were directed to an abandoned mobile home near Bowman in Orangeburg County where they found the body of a small African-American boy encased in 450 pounds of concrete inside a plastic 30-gallon trash can.

Forensic experts at the Medical University of South Carolina isolated the remains of a boy Thursday, all but confirming Rodricus Williams' death.

A memorial message may be sent to the family at www.palmettomortuary.com.

http://www.live5news.com/Global/story.asp?S=12790016