Colleen
(Reuters) - A 12-year-old girl who was shot by her mother during a standoff inside a Texas food stamp office died of her wounds late Wednesday night, officials said Thursday.
Ramie Grimmer had posted a Facebook message on Monday "may die 2today" after her mother, Rachelle Grimmer, 38, took a supervisor hostage in the Texas Department of Human Services office in the Rio Grande city of Laredo in a dispute over her denial of food stamp benefits.
Rachelle Grimmer released the supervisor, but after a seven hour standoff, police say she shot Ramie and her ten-year-old son Timothy Grimmer, and then killed herself.
Timothy remains in very critical condition in a San Antonio hospital, according to Mary Walker, spokeswoman for Child Protective Services.
State and local officials said Rachelle Grimmer was a troubled woman wandering with her children from residence to residence after moving to Texas from Zanesville Ohio in March.
At one point, the three lived in a tent on the beach near Corpus Christi. Neighbors in Laredo said the children were often seen begging for food while living in a crumbling recreational vehicle which didn't have a place to cook food.
Officials said Texas Child Protective Services had been asked to look into the status of the children while they were living on the beach, but determined there were no signs of abuse or neglect and closed the case.
Laredo police said the Grimmers lived in at least four different places during their brief time in the city.
Officials are trying to determine how a family with such obvious need was able to fall through the cracks of society's safety net, said Stephanie Goodman, spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services.
"Is there anything we could have done differently?" she asked. "Maybe we need to do a better job of public awareness, of doing a better job communicating. Don't just assume that everybody knows how desperate your situation is."
She said Grimmer first applied for food stamp benefits in July, but state officials were unable to reach her, and the case was eventually closed for lack of enough information. Goodman said to her knowledge, the Grimmers never received any benefits from the state, despite their precarious situation.
Private charities in the Laredo area said the Grimmers never requested assistance, even though there are a number of religious and civic aid organizations in the border city of 236,000, which is among the poorest in the nation.
Walker said the surviving child, Timothy, will remain in the hospital for some time, and then is expected to be released into the care of relatives. She does not anticipate the state taking custody of the child.http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/08/us-crime-texas-facebook-idUSTRE7B703K20111208
8 Answers
ROMOS
Best answer!
I think we are all too quick in blaming " someone else " in these situations, are everyone in the state so poor they could,nt have helped this poor woman, who, let,s face it must have been hitting the bottom to do what she did, she,d been there for several months after all,who was the kid " talking to " on facebook, why didn,t the mother keep up with enquiries about food stamps, lots of questions no answers, just two dead, one critical, more statistics,moral judgements, yet it happens every day, even here in the UK,sad times, worse to come, especially with our inept govt.xKOTF.
| 12 years ago. Rating: 9 | |
Ann
This is a real tragedy. Child Protective Services should have looked at the situation more closely, when the family was living in a tent on the beach. They must have known, that this was no place for these children to live and referred the case to Human Services. The mother may have been so depressed over theire situation, that she simply did not know what to do. And When she finally asked for food stamps again it was denied and she just snapped and did the unthinkable deed. They fell through the cracks of society who has little or no compassion any more. May they rest in peace.
| 12 years ago. Rating: 11 | |
Tommyh
If you are so dirt poor that you need to beg Laredo would be the last place in America to go I would think. I saw so much poverty & begging there it made me sick.Even worse over the border in Nuevo Laredo. But the question I have asked a million times "Why do these kooks have to involve the kids". If they want to top themselves then do it! but leave the bloody kids out of it.
That's a sad story Colleen. We can only hope young Timothy survives & goes on to make a better life for himself but the odds are stacked against him from the outset,so it seems.
| 12 years ago. Rating: 10 | |
doolittle
In this case I bet "Mommy Dearest" had probably threatened to kill her prior to this and perhaps "Mom" said or did something earlier that day making the girl wonder if she was going to be killed/die. I work in the medical profession and sometimes patients seem to be able to predict their death (even when they seem basically healthy). When patients tell u they think they are going to die they do about 80% of the time...even when the healthcare team does "everything right". spooky
| 12 years ago. Rating: 10 | |
Mr.Den
I also believe the mother had said something to her children like if we do not get help today I'll kill us all...........Her daughter must believe that her mother was serious! It is still sad that she had not gotten any help after all that time there................
| 12 years ago. Rating: 8 | |
barra
The mother was sick and tired of her daughter harpening on how she was going to die soon.
| 12 years ago. Rating: 5 | |
Hopefully, you never have a kid who complains, if this is how you think a parent would react.
Poppy3
barra - your answer is far too simplistic in the face of this tragedy. No Mother would do this to her little girl and if it were for her daughter "harping" on - what about the little boy, and her killing herself. This is not a case of knowing the circumstances - Colleen has given the history of the family and I would be the first to ask for the circumstances, if they were not clear. This Mother was obviously very ill and although I am also aware that we cannot believe publications - I have actually seen many untruths published by people I worked for - but the truth is here - Mother and little girl dead and little boy in hospital - what more do you want. Regardless it would appear the social services( and if you like society in general as Ann has said) have something to answer for which they are so adept at covering up almost everywhere and I just love the way the authorities say "we will learn from this" and they never seem to. Some compassion is needed here from you. do you not think?.
| 12 years ago. Rating: 3 | |
mityky
