REMEMBERING JOCILYNN

Jocilynn Sierra Graham was 13 months old when she died. She was still a baby, only beginning her second year of life. At that age, Jocilynn depended completely on the adults around her for food, comfort, protection and safety. She was too young to understand the complicated custody decisions being made around her and far too young to protect herself when an adult became frustrated. Very little reliable public information remains about Jocilynn’s personality or the small everyday things she loved. What survives publicly is dominated by child welfare reports, a criminal investigation and the injuries that ultimately took her life. Jocilynn deserves more than that. Before she became the subject of those records, she was a little girl whose life had only just begun.

JOCILYNN’S STORY

During Jocilynn’s short life, concerns were repeatedly raised about the care she was receiving. In March 2011, child protection authorities received a report involving Jocilynn’s mother, Kayla Graham. A witness reported seeing Kayla screaming at Jocilynn and noticed a red mark on the baby’s face. The allegation was investigated and determined to be unfounded. The family was referred to the Family Advocacy Program at Fort Carson. Approximately five months later, another report was made. This time, concerns included the cleanliness of Jocilynn’s bottles, formula reportedly caked inside a bottle and a bruise on her cheek. Additional concerns were raised about whether Jocilynn’s father had the supplies and appropriate living conditions necessary to care for an infant. In September 2011, custody of Jocilynn was given to her father, Dustin Strickland. Living with him was his girlfriend, Melissa Alexander. Only about two months later, Jocilynn was critically injured while in Melissa’s care. On November 9, 2011, Melissa was caring for Jocilynn while Dustin was away.According to investigators, Melissa became frustrated with the baby. She later admitted shaking Jocilynn. She left the room and then returned and shook her again. Jocilynn eventually became unresponsive and began gasping for breath. Instead of immediately calling 911, Melissa took Jocilynn to a neighboring apartment where a woman with medical experience saw the baby and called for emergency help. Jocilynn was rushed for medical treatment. Doctors discovered devastating brain injuries. She also had bruising on her face and arms and fractured ribs. Jocilynn never regained consciousness. For one month, she remained in a coma. On December 9, 2011, life support was withdrawn. Jocilynn died.

SYSTEM FAILURES & WARNING SIGNS

Jocilynn’s death followed multiple reports concerning her safety during the first year of her life. The first documented report came in March 2011, when someone reported seeing Jocilynn’s mother screaming at her and noticed a red mark on the baby's face. The allegation was determined to be unfounded. Months later, another person reported concerns about Jocilynn’s care, including dirty bottles and a bruise on her cheek. There were also questions about whether her father had an appropriate home and the necessary supplies to care for her. Ultimately, custody was transferred to him. That did not end the danger surrounding Jocilynn. After she was placed with her father, Melissa reportedly sought child care assistance from the El Paso County Department of Human Services. She was told that no one else had been approved to care for Jocilynn while Dustin was away. Melissa remained responsible for the baby. Two months after the custody change, Jocilynn suffered the injuries that would kill her. The investigation after Jocilynn was hospitalized uncovered additional information. Melissa admitted to previous acts of physical aggression toward the baby, including throwing a sippy cup at Jocilynn’s head. The reports made during Jocilynn’s first year involved different adults and different concerns. Some were not substantiated. But together, they show how frequently adults outside the immediate household were worried enough about this baby to contact authorities. Jocilynn moved from one concerning environment into another. The custody change intended to make her safer did not protect her.

JUSTICE FOR JOCILYNN

Melissa Alexander was arrested after Jocilynn was critically injured. Her explanations for Jocilynn’s injuries changed during the investigation. Melissa ultimately admitted shaking the baby, although her defense later disputed whether shaking or a fall from a couch caused the fatal injuries. She pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death. On July 23, 2012, Melissa appeared before a judge for sentencing. She was sentenced to 36 years in prison.

Melissa Alexander

Relationship to Jocilynn: Father’s Girlfriend

Conviction: Child abuse resulting in death

Sentence: 36 years in prison

FOREVER REMEMBERED

Jocilynn spent the final month of her life unable to wake up. She had been alive for only a little more than a year. There should have been so much more waiting for her.  First words that became conversations. Unsteady steps that became running. Favorite foods. Favorite songs. A first day of school. Friends. Birthdays. A childhood. Instead, the public record of Jocilynn’s life became a collection of reports documenting adults' concerns about whether she was safe. Someone noticed a mark. Someone noticed a bruise. Someone worried about the way she was being cared for. Then, at 13 months old, Jocilynn was injured so severely that she never opened her eyes again. At Melissa’s sentencing, one of the detectives who had spent time at Jocilynn’s bedside explained why officers continued visiting the little girl while she lay in a coma. They wanted Jocilynn to know that there were people in the world who cared about her. She could not answer them. She could not tell them whether she heard them. But they stayed. That part of Jocilynn’s story deserves to survive alongside everything else. During the final weeks of her life, while machines kept her tiny body alive, people sat beside a little girl they had met under terrible circumstances simply because they did not want her to be alone. Jocilynn should have experienced that kind of care throughout a long life. She should have been protected long before a hospital room was the only place left to protect her. Her life lasted 13 months. Her name should not disappear with the records of the case created after she was gone. Abuse Angels remembers Jocilynn Sierra Graham. Remembered. Honored. Never Forgotten.