Julissia Batties, 7: Found Dead At Home After Being Abused
When Julissia Batties was just five days old, her mother, Navasia Jones, lost custody of her. It didn’t come as a surprise to relatives, considering the year prior, Navasia lost custody of her four other children, as well. Yolanda Davis, Julissia’s paternal grandmother, reportedly raised the seven-year-old for most of her life. Still, in 2020, the little girl moved into New York City’s Mitchel Houses with her mother. The move was questioned because Navasia reportedly had several complaints with the Administration for Children’s Services. It would prove to be a deadly decision.
On August 10, a 911 call was made about a child in distress. When responding officers arrived, they found young Julissia Batties “lying face up on a bedroom floor, unconscious and unresponsive,” claims law enforcement. This wasn’t the first time that authorities had responded to the home. Reports state there were “five, prior ‘aided'” instances where emergency responders tended to Julissia. What those “aids” were are unclear.
“I was trying, I was trying to keep this from happening,” said Yolanda. “Julissia never gave a problem. She was a perfect child. She had neat handwriting. She loved going to Target and Walmart. She was an usher at church and loved the bishop.”
According to reports, Navasia told police that at 5:00 a.m., Julissia suffered an accident and fell, allegedly hitting her head on a desk. Three hours later, Julissia “began to vomit and defecate on herself” before losing consciousness and passing out. Almost an hour later, Navasia called the police, and an ambulance was dispatched to the scene. Upon immediate inspection, responders noticed significant trauma to Julissia Batties, including bruising on her “face, arms and torso.”
An investigation revealed that Julissia’s 17-year-old half-brother, who has not been named in reports, violently punched her in the face at least eight times that morning. Why? He told police he was annoyed with her because the seven-year-old continued to go into the kitchen for snacks.
The Medical Examiner’s Office reports that Julissia’s death was attributed to trauma to her abdomen. Old and new injuries were located during the autopsy, suggesting that the brutal punches from her teen brother weren’t the blows that killed her.
A neighbor told reporters that days before Julissia Batties was found dead, they saw her with a black eye. When they asked how she received it, the neighbor claimed the little girl said her mother did it. However, Julissia’s teen brother admitted to police that he was responsible for the injury.
Julissia lived at home with her mother, her 18-month-old brother, and her 17-year-old half-brother. According to Julius Batties, Julissia’s father, he wasn’t able to live at his mother’s home with his daughter while she was living there for six years. Navasia reportedly filed numerous domestic violence complaints against him. Julius denies the allegations.
“I feel like I failed my baby,” he told WCBS. Julius shared that the last time he spoke with his daughter, “she said she loved me and that I was the best dad. She was crying out for help. Nobody did nothing for my baby. I just want justice for my baby.”
Authorities reportedly have yet to release Julissia’s body to her family. Grandmother Yolanda Davis has launched a GoFundMe that you can visit here.
Please share this story about Julissia Batties to continue the conversation of protecting our children and holding authorities in Child Protective Services accountable. She is our sister, and her life matters.
Sources
The New York Times
Inside Edition
Pix11 News
WCBS
NY Daily News
