REMEMBERING ZOE

Zoe Savannah Garcia was seven years old when she died.

She was a good student who loved going to school. Her mother, Dana Trujillo, remembered Zoe as a good girl and described her as her “sidekick,” a little girl who frequently went places with her.

Zoe’s father, Anthony Garcia, had spent years trying to locate his daughter after losing contact with her. By late 2007, he had finally learned where Zoe was living and was working toward establishing custody.

He learned of her death the following day.

Zoe was also a big sister to three year old twin girls who lived in the home with her.

She was old enough to understand when something hurt and old enough to ask someone to stop hurting her.

On the final night of her life, she did exactly that.

She should have been listened to.

ZOE’S STORY

Zoe lived in Johnstown, Colorado, with her mother, Dana Trujillo, and several siblings.

Long before Zoe died, there had been repeated concerns about the safety of the children in the household.

Child protection agencies in multiple Colorado counties and New Mexico had received reports involving allegations of abuse and neglect.

In the months immediately before Zoe’s death, concerns became increasingly specific.

A Weld County caseworker documented bruises on Zoe’s arms, shoulders and face. Some appeared older and were beginning to fade while others were newer.

Zoe herself told a caseworker that her older sister beat her.

Another report alleged that Heather’s boyfriend, Lamar Roberts, behaved dangerously around the children, including hitting or poking them with a stick, throwing them into the air without catching them and attempting to get them to use marijuana.

The assessment of abuse was ultimately considered inconclusive.

Zoe remained in the home.

On December 6, 2007, Dana went to work at a nearby bar.

Sixteen year old Heather Trujillo and her boyfriend, seventeen year old Lamar Roberts, were left responsible for Zoe and her three year old twin sisters.

During the evening, Heather and Lamar began physically fighting or wrestling with Zoe.

The violence escalated.

Zoe was kicked, hit and repeatedly slammed to the floor.

Investigators were initially told that Heather and Lamar had been imitating fighting moves from the video game Mortal Kombat.

Lamar had been drinking.

At one point, Zoe asked him to stop hurting her.

He did not stop.

Eventually, Zoe became unresponsive and began having difficulty breathing.

Instead of immediately calling for emergency help, Heather and Lamar attempted to revive her themselves.

They placed Zoe in a bathtub and ran water over her.

When Zoe stopped breathing, they cracked an egg into her mouth in an attempt to determine whether she was pretending to be unconscious.

They waited approximately 15 minutes before calling for help.

When Johnstown police arrived, Zoe was unconscious and not breathing.

She was transported to North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley.

She could not be saved.

Zoe had suffered extensive blunt force injuries, including more than 20 bruises, a broken wrist, brain swelling and internal bleeding.

The Weld County Coroner determined that Zoe died from blunt force injuries.

Her death was ruled a homicide.

She was seven years old.

SYSTEM FAILURES & WARNING SIGNS

Zoe’s death came after years of concerns about the safety of the children in her family.

Records revealed numerous abuse and neglect complaints involving the household across multiple jurisdictions in Colorado and New Mexico.

New Mexico child protection authorities had previously removed children from the home before they were later returned.

After the family moved to Colorado, additional concerns followed them.

One of Zoe’s younger siblings suffered a skull fracture in 2006.

In 2007, Zoe directly told a caseworker that her older sister beat her.

During the months before her death, a Weld County worker personally documented bruises on Zoe’s body.

Additional allegations specifically involved Lamar Roberts and his behavior toward the children.

Teachers and neighbors also reported concerns.

Still, the available investigations did not result in Zoe being removed from the home.

After her death, the Colorado Department of Human Services examined the handling of her case as part of its review of child fatalities.

The state found shortcomings in the way local agencies had handled child abuse allegations and concluded that some of the child deaths it reviewed could potentially have been prevented.

Zoe’s case became one of the examples used to demonstrate what can happen when repeated reports are treated individually rather than as an accumulating pattern of danger.

The warnings surrounding Zoe were not hidden.

There were reports.

There were injuries.

There were bruises observed by a caseworker.

There were concerns from teachers and neighbors.

And there was Zoe herself.

She told an adult that her sister hurt her.

Months later, she was left in that sister’s care.

JUSTICE FOR ZOE

Heather Trujillo and Lamar Roberts were arrested and prosecuted as adults for their roles in Zoe’s death.

Heather ultimately pleaded guilty to child abuse negligently causing death.

She was sentenced to 18 years in prison, but the sentence was suspended on the condition that she successfully complete six years in Colorado’s Youthful Offender System. Her plea agreement also required her to testify against Lamar.

Lamar subsequently pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death.

In January 2009, he was sentenced to 36 years in prison.

 

Heather Maria Trujillo

Relationship to Zoe: Half Sister

Conviction(s): Child abuse negligently causing death

Sentence: 18 years in prison, suspended upon successful completion of six years in Colorado’s Youthful Offender System

 

Lamar Roberts

Relationship to Zoe: Half Sister’s Boyfriend

Conviction: Child abuse resulting in death

Sentence: 36 years in prison

FOREVER REMEMBERED

Zoe’s death became widely known because of the claim that a violent video game had been imitated during the assault. Headlines focused on Mortal Kombat. But Zoe’s story was never really about a video game. It was about a seven year old girl who had already been showing adults that something was wrong. There had been reports before that night. There had been bruises. There had been concerns about the people around her. Zoe herself had spoken. Then, on the night she died, she spoke again. She asked for the hurting to stop. It should have stopped. Zoe should have gone back to school.She should have watched her little sisters grow up. She should have had the opportunity to reconnect with the father who had spent years trying to find her. She should have been allowed to become something more than the seven year old girl whose death became attached to a sensational headline. Zoe Savannah Garcia was a daughter. She was a sister. She was a student who loved school. She was a little girl her mother called her sidekick. She was seven years old, and she deserved adults who listened when she said she was being hurt. Her voice mattered then. It still matters now. Abuse Angels remembers Zoe Savannah Garcia. Remembered. Honored. Never Forgotten.