Remembering Quasir

Quasir Alexander entered the world alongside his twin brother, Quamir, on October 21, 2010. The boys were born prematurely and were tiny from the beginning. Quasir weighed approximately 4 pounds, 12 ounces at birth. They were babies who required careful feeding, medical attention, and adults watching closely to make sure they were gaining weight and growing. Quasir lived with his mother, Tanya Williams, his twin brother, and his older siblings in a Philadelphia family shelter. He lived for only two months. There was never enough time for the world to learn who Quasir would become. But his short life was still a life worthy of protection, care, and remembrance.

​Quasir's Story

After the twins were born prematurely, there were early signs that they were struggling. A nurse who visited the family approximately one week after their birth testified that both babies appeared to be losing weight. She told Williams that the twins needed to be taken to a pediatrician and later made several attempts to follow up with the family. Williams and her six children were living at the Traveler's Aid Family Services shelter in West Philadelphia. The family was receiving assistance, and formula was available at the shelter. Williams was also receiving parenting and other support services through Lutheran Children and Family Service. On December 23, 2010 two days before Christmas Quasir was found unresponsive. Paramedics found the two-month-old baby emaciated and lifeless, lying alone on a bed wearing only a diaper. He was taken to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, but it was too late. Quasir was dead. At birth, Quasir had weighed approximately 4 pounds, 12 ounces. By the time he died two months later, he weighed less than he had at birth. Testimony later placed his weight at approximately four pounds. A medical examiner found virtually no food or nourishment in his body. His autopsy determined that Quasir died from starvation and dehydration, and his death was ruled a homicide. His twin brother, Quamir, was also severely malnourished and dehydrated. Unlike Quasir, Quamir survived. He was hospitalized for several days and recovered after receiving medical care.

​The Warning Signs

Quasir's death is especially troubling because adults and agencies responsible for helping his family were involved right up until his death. The family was living in a shelter where assistance and infant formula were available. Williams was also receiving parenting and support services through Lutheran Children and Family Service. Most troublingly, a city funded caseworker had reportedly seen Quasir and his twin brother approximately 36 hours before Quasir died and concluded that the babies appeared healthy and well. They were not. Within approximately a day and a half, Quasir was dead from starvation and dehydration, and his twin brother, Quamir, was hospitalized suffering from severe malnutrition and dehydration. After Quasir's death, two workers involved with the family were initially suspended while Lutheran Children and Family Service conducted an internal investigation. The caseworker and her supervisor were later fired. Philadelphia's Department of Human Services also investigated the circumstances surrounding Quasir's death. No social service workers were criminally charged. Quasir's case leaves a painful question: How could a two-month-old baby be seen by professionals responsible for helping his family and die of starvation and dehydration approximately 36 hours later? Quasir was too young to tell anyone he was hungry. He could not explain that something was wrong or ask someone to take him to a doctor. He depended entirely upon the adults around him to recognize that he needed help. That help did not come in time.

​Justice for Quasir

Tanya Williams was initially charged with murder and child endangerment in connection with Quasir's death. Her case went to trial in 2013. The jury found Williams not guilty of first degree murder and was unable to reach a verdict on third-degree murder. Williams was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Quasir's death. She was also convicted of aggravated assault involving his surviving twin brother, Quamir, and child endangerment. Williams was sentenced to 9 to 18 years in prison.

 

Person convicted: Tanya Williams

Relationship to Quasir: Mother

Conviction in Quasir's death: Involuntary manslaughter

Additional convictions: Aggravated assault involving Quamir and child endangerment

Sentence: 9 to 18 years imprisonment

 

The verdict could hold Williams legally accountable, but it could not undo what happened to Quasir. No prison sentence could give him back the childhood he lost or the life he should have shared with his twin brother. Quamir survived. Quasir did not.

Forever Remembered

Quasir Alexander lived for only two months. Much of what remains publicly documented about those two months is contained in medical testimony, investigations, and court proceedings. But Quasir was not simply the baby who starved to death in a Philadelphia shelter. He was a son. He was a son. He was a brother. And, most importantly, he was Quamir's twin. Two little boys entered the world together on the same day. One survived the neglect they endured, the other did not. Quasir depended entirely upon the adults around him to recognize when he was hungry, when he was losing weight, and when he needed medical help. He was far too young to ask for any of those things himself. He deserved adults who noticed. He deserved intervention that came in time. And he deserved much more than the two months he was given. His name was Quasir Alexander. Abuse Angels remembers Quasir, tells the truth about what happened to him, and honors the tiny baby boy behind the investigations and court records.