Nationwide — The parents of Jayceon Charles, an 8-year-old boy who was severely burned at a friend’s house in Warren, Arkansas, are demanding answers as they claim that the investigation has been slow for two months since the incident happened.
On August 9th, Jayceon was staying at a friend’s house when he called his parents, Lakiesha Belin and Justin Charles. Belin said their call was cut off and when his father called Jayceon again, they heard him screaming.
His parents said they were told that they were roasting hotdogs when “something in the fire exploded” and Jayceon got burned.
They rushed over to the house where they found Jayceon severely burned and covered in Vaseline and plastic wrap. They said no one at the house called 911 so they had to take him to the hospital by themselves.
At the hospital, the young boy had to be put on a ventilator and resuscitated twice. He underwent multiple surgeries, including removing 5 inches of his small intestine. Aside from the severe burns across 80% of his body, he suffered from kidney failure, sepsis, and brain damage.
Meanwhile, Jayceon’s grandfather Earl Charles immediately contacted the police after the incident.
“The stories that’s been told never sat right with me from the beginning,” he told Local 12. “I never understood why so many people dropped the ball and just didn’t show any concern.”
Jayceon’s mother also said she could not understand why no one at the house immediately called them or 911 for help if “they had enough time” to cover her son in plastic wrap and Vaseline.
Jayceon’s father said he believes what happened was not an accident. He also thinks the authorities are not prioritizing the investigation because his son is Black and the family he was staying with is White.
It has been 2 months since the incident happened and Jayceon’s family claims the investigators reached out only a few times for witness interviews or medical reports, making them worry that important evidence might have been lost all along.
Most recently, they were told that Arkansas State Police will be taking over the investigation and will send the results to the Bradly County Prosecution Office.
Moreover, Jayceon is slowly recovering from the injuries but his family is still worried about his future. A GoFundMe page was set up to help with his medical bill expenses. It has so far raised more than $20,000.
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