The mother of a 3-year-old Taft girl who died a week ago, says she had suspicions her daughter was being abused. Angela Hanna says she never reported it to law enforcement even though she knew her live-in boyfriend, Eric Foster, had been in trouble with Child Protective Services in the past.
Court documents obtained by 17 News say Hanna told detectives she didn't think Foster was capable of purposely hurting her daughter, even though he's a drug addict. Foster is behind bars on five felony charges, including first degree murder.
The court documents describe what happened when Hanna and Foster were interviewed separately by Sheriff's detectives, following Trinity Hanna's death.
Detectives say Angela Hanna told them, Foster "had a series of accidents with Trinity which always seemed to happen outside of Hanna's view." They go on to say, "She talked to Foster about it, but he denied harming Trinity and told her that he loved her."
But, the little girl he claimed to love, later died. Detectives say Foster admitted to slamming Trinity into a coffee table. The day after Trinity died, detectives say they interviewed Foster and his story kept changing.
By the third interview, detectives say he broke down about the abuse, admitting he intentionally hurt the little girl, beginning a month ago when he says he accidentally burned her in a hot bath.
Foster told detectives "Within a couple seconds Trinity got his attention and told him 'hot'." Foster said he left the hot water on Trinity for another three seconds.
Foster said he was angry because Trinity pooped her diaper and he "didn't know how to clean a diaper and it was all over everything." Foster later admits, "he was frustrated and lost his temper and never told Angela."
Angela Hanna told detectives Trinity stayed in the hospital for ten days after she was burned in the bath. She said she also had a visit with Child Protective Services.
After the burn incident, Foster said Trinity "didn't want me to hold her." Hanna said when she asked Trinity what happened, her daughter said, "Eric burned me."
Foster said Trinity was terrified of him and it hurt his feelings and made him mad. About three weeks later, Foster said he was "trying to make things right by teaching Trinity how to ride a bike when she fell in the dirt." He told detectives that "when he placed her back on, he did not set her down too soft." He goes on to say, "I dropped her from my height back onto her seat."
Foster also told detectives that, "he put Trinity in her highchair in a way to intentionally hurt her." He goes on to say that he knew it would "agitate her already sore vagina."
Foster said he never told his girlfriend the truth, and six days later they got into an argument that led to the little girl's death. Foster said when he got up to go argue with Hanna, he pushed Trinity off his lap and she fell onto a coffee table.
"There was probably a lot of force behind her fall, slingshot," he told detectives. He described the incident saying, "She face planted on the table."
The next day, Trinity was vomiting, unable to keep anything down. Hanna's grandmother told her to take Trinity to the hospital. "There wasn't a hospital in Taft and the Urgent Care wanted money before they would treat," Hanna told detectives.
They asked her if she thought about calling an ambulance. They go on to say, "She didn't think about that." When detectives asked Hanna why she didn't call, she said, "I wish I would have."
Under state law, Child Protective Services is supposed to release important information and documents about a child who died from abuse or neglect. Senate Bill 39 requires state agencies to release certain files following a child's death The goal is to determine if anything could have been done differently.
17 News contacted CPS to find out more about their visit with Hanna, but the public agency is staying silent. CPS workers say as long as there is an open and active investigation, they can't release any information.
