Parents Seek Answers After Their 8-Year-Old Son Suffered Severe Burns At Sleepover & No One Called 911
They did nothing until his injuries had worsened.
Justin JC Charles/Kiesha Supaabadd Belin (Lakiesha Belin)/Facebook Lakiesha Belin and Justin Charles never could have imagined when they allowed their son, 8-year-old Jayceon Charles, to attend a sleepover, he would never be the same.
The Arkansas parents let their son stay the night at a friend’s house on August 9 with the intention of him accompanying the friend’s family to an amusement park the next day.
Jayceon Charles' parents are seeking answers after he was severely burned during the sleepover.
It all started when the parents received a call from Jayceon but he quickly hung up. Justin called back, only to hear his son screaming in the background.
This, of course, prompted the boy’s parents to rush over to his friend’s home. When they arrived, their son was covered in Vaseline and encased in plastic wrap.
According to the family at the residence, Jayceon had been roasting hot dogs with his friend when there was an explosion, causing severe burns.
Still, Lakiesha and Justin questioned why the friend’s parents had neglected to call 911. They rushed their son to the hospital.
Jayceon had been burned over 80% of his body, leading to sepsis, kidney failure, and brain damage. He has had a large portion of his small intestine removed and undergone numerous surgeries.
As any parent would, Justin is struggling with coming to terms with what happened to his son. “It’s just a rough situation seeing him lying in the hospital bed like he is,” he said in an interview with WKRC.
Law enforcement has reportedly failed to investigate Jayceon's injuries.
According to the injured child’s grandfather, Earl Charles, he personally reached out to law enforcement after learning about what his grandson had endured.
He said that the police were interested and showed little concern about the case, lamenting, “The stories that’s been told never sat right with me from the beginning.”
Jayceon’s family is not convinced that his extreme burns were the result of a cooking accident. They suspect that something else happened and the friend’s family is covering it up.
Nevertheless, they say the police still have not contacted anyone for interviews. Nor have they reviewed medical records in the two months since the incident, reducing the chance of recovering any evidence.
Jayceon’s family believes the lack of response is racially motivated.
Justin steadfastly believes that something sinister happened to his child at that sleepover. He also attributes the lack of response from investigators to the fact that the victim is Black and the likely suspects are white.
Just last week, Arkansas police took over the investigation bringing new hope to the family that they will finally get the answers and justice they deserve.
As for Jayceon, he is gradually improving but has a long and difficult road ahead of him. His mother is worried about his future, saying, “It’s hard because I don’t know if my baby is going to be the same anymore.”
To help with medical expenses incurred by this heartbreaking catastrophe, Jayceon’s family has created a Go Fund Me page where they have raised over $15,000, well over the $10,000 goal.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington and author of seven books. She covers lifestyle and entertainment & news, as well as navigating the workplace and social issues.