Dad Suggests Hell For NJ Mom Who Got High While Kid Died: Reports

A New Jersey man suggested a different fate for the mother of his child as she was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the death of their daughter. The incident was another tragic moment in a decade-long story that the New Jersey Department of Children and Families addressed, step-by-step, in a detailed account (see below).

Deanna Joseph, 40, of Alloway Township was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Friday for her role in the August 2017 death of 2-year-old Kayley Freeman (see video below).

Thomas Freeman told a judge at Joseph’s sentencing on Friday, “hell is not good enough for her,” according to nj.com. "Fifteen years is not enough time. Kayley's life was worth way more than that," he said in a Daily Mail report.

The sentencing comes after the mother, for many years, repeatedly got high while taking care of her children, causing her to lose custody of all six children before her youngest, 2-year-old Kayley, died.

These were the findings released to the public Friday by Allison Blake, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, one month after Kayley's mother, Deanna J. Joseph, 39, of Alloway, was arrested on manslaughter charges.

Kayley died on Aug. 26 when she was left in her car seat for several hours while Joseph got high in the car, according to the Salem County Prosecutor's Office. "Various drugs" were present in Joseph's system before her child's death, according to an SPCO statement, and heroin and crack cocaine were found in her possession.

The Salem County medical examiner determined Kayley died of “positional asphyxia” because she was seated in a way that prevented her from breathing properly, according to nj.com.

Blake released the findings after getting some media requests regarding a litany of incidents involving Joseph since 2008.

"We are deeply saddened by Kayley’s death and troubled about the circumstances surrounding her death," Blake said. "Kayley’s family deserves a thorough and accurate review of the facts."

"On behalf of the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, we extend our deepest condolences to Kayley’s family."

Blake's findings include the following:

• Joseph (Blake used a pseudonym in the report) first ran into trouble in 2008, soon after the DCF received a report involving child neglect and substance abuse on July 17, 2008. That claim, and a number of other claims dating back to 1997, proved to be unfounded.
• However, about two weeks later, on Aug. 2, 2008, the DCF received a report of alleged child neglect that was investigated and substantiated. Police discovered Joseph unconscious in her vehicle and her children unsupervised overnight at home.
• The mother tested positive for substances. The department removed Joseph's first three children from her custody and placed the children with a resource family.
• The court ordered the department to continue care, custody, and supervision of the children. Complying with a court-ordered test for substances, Joseph tested positive and was ordered to attend an intensive parenting program.
• Joseph again tested positive for substances in the following weeks and was ordered to complete a psychiatric evaluation, submit to further substance testing, attend therapy, attend domestic violence counseling, attend an intensive substance treatment program, and attend parenting classes. The department provided these services and was ordered to continue care, custody, and supervision.
• On Dec. 3, 2008, the Burlington County Superior Court determined Joseph's actions during the Aug. 3, 2008 incident constituted child neglect. The children remained in state custody.
• During October 2009, the department assumed custody of the mother's fourth child upon the child’s birth. On Dec. 11, 2009, upon hospital discharge, the fourth child was placed with a resource family.
• The four children remained in resource care through the termination of Joseph's parental rights in 2011. The children were subsequently adopted and the case was closed on Oct. 25, 2012 following the last adoption.
• On Jan. 18, 2013, the DCF received a report of alleged child neglect and a case was opened. The allegation was received near the time Joseph gave birth to her fifth child, who was given the pseudonym “Jimmy."
• Joseph and Jimmy tested negative for substances. The allegation was investigated and ultimately determined to be unfounded.
• However, given the identified risks to Jimmy in his mother's care, the court ordered the department assume temporary custody. Custody was transferred to Jimmy’s father once he found suitable housing.
• On Feb. 12, 2013, the court ordered all contact between Joseph and Jimmy must be supervised. With Jimmy in the custody of his biological father, the court permitted Joseph to live in the father’s home.
• Joseph was ordered to complete a substance use evaluation and complied with the order.
• Joseph and Jimmy’s father became employed and the child was stable. Service providers reported Joseph doing well. The family did not seek further services from the department.
• The court ordered that the child protection litigation terminate on May 6, 2013. The case was closed on July 8, 2013.
• On Jan. 4, 2014, the DCF received a report of alleged child neglect. The department opened a case and the allegation was investigated and substantiated.
• Police discovered Joseph passed out in her bathroom while Jimmy was in a tub of water. The department placed the child with a resource family and opened the case for services.
• The court ordered that Joseph receive psychological and substance use evaluations. She was also referred to a therapeutic visitation program.
• Joseph completed a psychological evaluation on Feb. 17, 2014 and was referred to counseling. She was also referred to and completed an individual substance abuse counseling program. Also, Joseph was referred for another psychiatric evaluation.
• Joseph was referred for further counseling in May 2014 and also attended individual therapy, trauma-focused therapy, and parenting skills education.
• Demonstrating "increased stability," the court granted Joseph unsupervised visits with Jimmy on Sept. 29, 2014. The mother and Jimmy were reunited on February 27, 2015. The case was closed on May 6, 2015.
• On June 29, 2015 the DCF received a report of alleged child neglect. The allegation was investigated and substantiated and the department opened a case. The mother had tested positive for substances after giving birth to her sixth child, Kayley.
• Joseph had privately arranged for Jimmy to live with the child’s previous resource family while she gave birth to Kayley. The department sought and was granted custody of Jimmy and placed him in the continued care of the former resource family.
• Upon discharge from the hospital, Kayley was placed in the custody of her mother and father. Under the terms of a safety plan, Joseph was to be supervised by either Kayley’s father or Kayley’s paternal grandmother whenever with her children.
• Family Preservation Services, an intensive, in-home crisis intervention and family education program, was assigned to the home. Joseph and Jimmy’s father were then granted custody of Jimmy.
• The department visited the household on Aug. 27, 2015 and Sept. 16, 2015 and reemphasized that Joseph must be supervised when with her children.
• Phone contact was made on Sept. 25, 2015 with Kayley’s father, Sept. 25, 2015 and Oct. 2, 2015 with Jimmy’s father, and Sept. 30, 2015 with Joseph.
• The department learned Kayley’s father separated from Joseph and was no longer in the home. Kayley’s father was granted custody of Kayley on October 1, 2015.
• Later that week, a department employee found Joseph unsupervised with Jimmy. Jimmy was removed and placed with a resource family. Kayley remained in her father’s custody and both were residing with Kayley’s paternal grandmother.
• On Oct. 17, 2015 Jimmy was returned to his father’s care. On Oct. 29, 2015 Jimmy’s father was named parent of primary residence. Joseph and Jimmy’s father were granted joint legal custody. It was at about this time Joseph began serving a 12-month sentence. The court thereafter ordered the child protection litigation closed.
• Each child was then in their individual father’s custody and was stable, and the case was closed on Dec. 15, 2015.
• Holding a full-time job and having completed substance use treatment and parenting classes, the mother petitioned the court in a contested matter on Jan. 24, 2017 seeking custody of Jimmy from his father (Kayley and Jimmy had different fathers).
• While it denied the petition, the court asked the department to evaluate Joseph's home to determine if it was suitable for overnight visits. A department caseworker visited and conducted the court-ordered assessment of the mother's home on Feb. 1, 2017. The two-bedroom home had two bathrooms, working utilities, and was clean and appropriately furnished.
• The caseworker also met with Kayley’s father, who had stable, full-time employment, and learned Joseph and Kayley’s father were engaged and had been living together since October 2016.
• The caseworker later visited Joseph at her workplace, where she worked full-time since mid-January. The mother reported also holding a part-time job.
• The caseworker also visited the Woodstown State Police Barracks for a police check on the home and Kayley’s parents to determine if there were any recent concerns.
• Based on the department’s review and the status of Joseph's relationship with Jimmy, the department recommended that the court permit the mother therapeutic visits with her son. The court granted Joseph one unsupervised overnight visit a month with Jimmy.
• Kayley remained in her father’s legal and physical custody. At no point did the department receive a call nor was the department informed of any concerns or suspicions about Kayley’s welfare.
• Kayley was discovered deceased in her mother’s car on Aug. 26, 2017. Jimmy remains in his father’s custody.

"As we continue to investigate and review Kayley’s family’s involvement with the child welfare system, we will continue to offer supportive services to the children and families impacted by this tragedy," Blake said.

Here is the sentencing video:

Salem County Correctional Facility photo