REMEMBERING JULIETTE

Juliette Serenity Geurts was two years old when she died. She was just a few months away from her third birthday.

She was born alongside her twin sister, Jaelyn, on November 2, 2005. Photographs of Juliette show a tiny child with bright eyes and a wide smile, still at the beginning of discovering the world around her.

She had not yet reached the age where she could explain clearly when something was wrong or protect herself from an adult. She depended on the people around her to notice.

To listen. To keep her safe.

Juliette should have celebrated her third birthday.

Instead, her family buried her.

Juliette's Story

Juliette lived with her mother, Charyse Geurts, her twin sister, Jaelyn, and her mother's boyfriend, Dustin Chauncey, in Gering, Nebraska. Another adult, Brandon Townsend, also lived in the home.

On July 10, 2008, Juliette and her family attended a carnival. That night, Juliette became ill and began having seizures.

Her mother and Chauncey took her to the hospital, where she was examined before returning home.

On July 11, 2008, emergency responders were called to the family's home. Juliette was unresponsive. She was already dead when police arrived.

An autopsy revealed injuries far beyond what would be expected from an ordinary childhood accident.

Juliette had suffered severe trauma to her abdomen and head. Her injuries included a lacerated liver, bleeding in the tissues supporting her intestines, and bleeding around her brain.

Medical experts determined that the injuries resulted from blunt force trauma. The pathologist testified that Juliette had been beaten to death and that several of her injuries could have been fatal.

Juliette's death was ruled a homicide.

Investigators focused on the adults who had been present in the home. However, years passed without anyone being criminally charged in connection with her death.

Juliette's family continued demanding answers.

In July 2012, community members submitted a petition requesting a grand jury investigation. The petition led to the appointment of a special prosecutor and renewed examination of the evidence.

In January 2013, Dustin Chauncey was indicted on charges including intentional child abuse resulting in death.

After years of investigation and legal proceedings, a jury found Chauncey guilty of intentional child abuse resulting in death in February 2015.

Juliette died before she could celebrate her third birthday.

Warning Signs and System Failures

Juliette's death was not the first indication that something might be wrong.

Medical evidence established that Juliette had suffered serious injuries before her death. On the night before she died, she became ill and experienced seizures.

Her mother and Chauncey took her to the hospital. She was examined and later returned home.

Hours later, Juliette was found unresponsive.

The medical examination following her death revealed severe internal injuries that could not reasonably be explained by an ordinary childhood accident.

Juliette was too young to make a detailed disclosure. That made the physical evidence especially important.

Her death was ruled a homicide in July 2008, yet no criminal charges had been filed by the middle of 2012.

For years, Juliette's family continued seeking answers.

In July 2012, supporters submitted a petition requesting a grand jury investigation.

The petition succeeded.

A special prosecutor was appointed, and the case was examined again.

In January 2013, Dustin Chauncey was indicted in connection with Juliette's death.

The lengthy delay also affected the criminal proceedings. Charges of manslaughter and providing false information were dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired.

The intentional child abuse resulting in death charge proceeded to trial.

Juliette's family waited nearly seven years for a conviction.

By the time justice was finally served, the little girl they had lost had been gone for most of a decade.

JUSTICE FOR JULIETTE

Following the grand jury investigation, Dustin Chauncey was arrested and charged in connection with Juliette's death.

Prosecutors pursued a charge of intentional child abuse resulting in death.

Chauncey maintained his innocence, and the case proceeded to trial.

In February 2015, a jury found him guilty of intentional child abuse resulting in death.

On April 10, 2015, Chauncey was sentenced to 80 years to life in prison, with a minimum of 40 years before becoming eligible for parole.

Chauncey appealed his conviction, challenging several aspects of the grand jury proceedings and trial.

In January 2017, the Nebraska Supreme Court rejected his arguments and affirmed his conviction and sentence.

 

Dustin Chauncey

Relationship to Juliette: Mother's Boyfriend

Conviction: Intentional child abuse resulting in death

Sentence: 80 years to life in prison

Juliette's mother, Charyse Geurts, was also indicted in January 2013 on charges of being an accessory to a felony and providing false information to law enforcement.

Those charges were dismissed in April 2013 because the statute of limitations had expired.

 

Charyse Geurts

Relationship to Juliette: Mother

Conviction: None

Sentence: None. Charges dismissed in April 2013.

 

For Juliette's family, the sentencing represented a long awaited measure of justice.

But no conviction or prison sentence could restore the little girl they had lost.

FOREVER REMEMBERED

Juliette should have celebrated her third birthday.

She should have had a cake. Someone should have helped her blow out three candles. There should have been photographs of a toddler who did not fully understand why everyone was singing to her but knew the day somehow belonged to her.

Instead, the photographs that survive became photographs attached to a child abuse case.

Juliette's injuries were examined by doctors. Her family's history was examined by investigators.

Her mother's boyfriend's actions were argued in court. Adults debated why justice had taken so long.

Those things are part of Juliette's story.

They are not Juliette.

Juliette Serenity Geurts was someone's baby sister. She was Jaelyn's twin sister. She was a toddler who had barely begun her life.

She deserved adults who recognized that serious injuries in a child too young to defend herself required answers.

She deserved safety before it was too late.

Most of all, Juliette deserved time.

Time to turn three. Time to go to school. Time to discover what she loved. Time for her sister to know the person her twin would become.

Her life lasted two years and eight months.

Her name deserves to last much longer.

Abuse Angels remembers Juliette Serenity Geurts.

Remembered. Honored. Never Forgotten.