Two Fort Worth men approved by Child Protective Services to care for a 3-year-old boy who died of serious injuries in April were arrested on charges they harmed the child.
The boy, Amari Boone, died of blunt force trauma of the head and his death was ruled a homicide by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner.
His family said doctors told them all of Amari’s fingers and both arms were broken.
His two state-approved caregivers, Deondrick Foley, 36, and Joseph Delancy, 29, face charges of injury to a child by omission. They were arrested on Friday and both were later released on bond.
Foley is charged with seven counts, a third-degree felony. Delancy was charged with a single count but in his case, prosecutors allege his action caused a serious injury, which makes it a first-degree felony.
The victim’s mother, Ariana George, said soon after he died that she had warned CPS weeks earlier that her son was being physically abused and provided photos that appeared to show bruises and a swollen lip and eyes.
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George said she lost custody of her son after she fell on hard times and became homeless.
CPS said at the time it would investigate the mother's complaints.
Amari’s father, Rodney Boone, said he met with prosecutors on Wednesday because he was upset the two weren’t charged with murder.
He said the meeting was productive but still believes the charge should be murder instead of injury to a child.
“They were the only people my son was with at the time of his death,” he said. “It’s not making sense.”
A statement from Fort Worth police said the investigation is ongoing and the charges may be upgraded later.
Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson also released a short statement saying her office would continue working with police for the best outcome.
“We all want the same thing: Justice for Amari,” the statement said.
