Imagine being in the situation an Illinois man found himself when police allegedly mistook the ashes of the grieving dad’s 2-year-old daughter for drugs and basically dumped them, according to reports.
“No, no, no, bro, that’s my daughter!” Dartavius Barnes said on video from a Springfield police bodycam, obtained by WICS, the Springfield ABC affiliate. Barnes was pulled over last year, and is now suing the Springfield police department and the Illinois city.
Police, who were searching Barnes’ vehicle for drugs, opened a cylinder containing the child’s ashes and scattered them on the ground during the search, court records say. (Scroll down to watch the video via police bodycam.)
Barnes’ daughter, Ta’Naja, died Feburay 2019 after police found her unresponsive and wrapped in a urine-soaked blanket, according to WICS. The toddler had been neglected and starved in the days leading up to her death, according to authorities.
The girl’s mother, T’wanka Davis and her boyfriend were found guilty of her murder and sentenced to decades in prison.
