2-year-old girl tortured most of her life, coroner says

When 2-year-old Glenara Bates was taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center last month, she had more than 100 wounds to her body, officials said. She weighed only 13 pounds.

Hamilton County's prosecutor said child protective officials "dropped the ball" in the case of Glenara and her siblings – and county Department of Job and Family Services officials acknowledged missteps.

Glenara had broken teeth, bite marks, and numerous lacerations as well as marks from being whipped with a belt, officials said Wednesday at a news conference announcing murder charges against her parents.

They face the death penalty.

"There's no doubt in my mind that his child was tortured for most of her ... pitifully short life," said Hamilton County Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco. "She was, literally, skin over bones."

Andrea Bradley, 28, of East Walnut Hills, and Glen Bates, 32, of College Hill, have been indicted on charges of aggravated murder, murder and child endangerment. They are being held at the Hamilton County jail.

They were arrested March 29, the same day Bradley brought the girl to the hospital, said Prosecutor Joe Deters. Glenara – one of Bradley's seven children – was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Both Bradley and Bates admitted severely abusing Glenara, according to court records.

Glenara's death happened a year and a half after she was returned to Bradley's custody. Court records show Bradley gave up custody to Glenara days after she was born in January 2013. Bradley had been convicted of endangering another of her children. She also was once hospitalized for psychiatric reasons and has a history of drug use, according to court records.

At Wednesday's news conference, Deters said the county should have removed Glenara and her siblings from their parents' custody "five years ago."

In a statement Wednesday, county Jobs and Family Services director Moira Weir said a preliminary review shows "we failed to follow our own policies and procedures in this case."

"We are conducting further internal reviews and will also have an independent reviewer examine our casework and practice," Weir said in the statement. "I will add that we deal with 17,000 Hamilton County children a year, and when we have any case end tragically like this, it weighs heavily on me and everyone in our organization ... This result is heartbreaking."

She said she could not comment further.

Five of Bradley's children, ranging in age from 1 to 8, who were living in her house in the 2600 block of Hackberry Street, were removed from the home after Glenara's death, Deters said. They are now in JFS custody.

A sixth child lives with Bates' relatives. Bradley is now pregnant with her eighth child and will likely give birth in jail. She gave birth to her first child at 15. Court documents list four fathers, including Bates. Two of the other fathers are in prison, the documents say.

Deters said there is evidence the other children had been abused in the past, although they didn't exhibit "current signs of abuse" the way Glenara did.

Glenara, he said, slept in a bath tub filled with feces and blood.

"It's horrific, what was going on," Deters said.

Bradley's lawyer, Derek Gustafson, and Bates' lawyer, Ramona Daniels, did not return messages seeking comment.

Bradley was well-known to JFS. Her history with the agency dates back to 2007, according to records obtained by The Enquirer. Bradley was hospitalized in 2009 for "extreme depression," records show. She has been diagnosed as bipolar and has a history of marijuana use. She was accused of physically abusing at least three of her other children. One child tested positive for marijuana after being born, court records say.

Glenara's death occurred a year and a half after JFS and a juvenile court magistrate agreed to allow Glenara and her siblings back into Bradley's home.

In 2012, before Glenara was born, JFS took temporary custody of five of Bradley's children. She was accused of abusing one of them. The child, whose name and age is redacted from the documents, had bruises and whip marks on her face, neck, eye, back and legs. The child had difficulty walking because of the severity of the bruises, the documents say.

In January 2013, six days after Glenara was born, Bradley agreed to give up custody, records show. Glenara was placed in foster care with her other siblings.

Bradley was ordered to undergo drug treatment, parenting education and mental health therapy, records show. Random drug tests were ordered.

In September 2013, JFS and a juvenile court magistrate agreed to return Bradley's children to her because she was doing so well.

JFS monitored Bradley and her children for three months. In December 2013, after a juvenile court hearing, it was determined that the children were doing well and protective supervision was ended.

Glenara was hospitalized in 2014 for "failure to thrive" and later released, according to court records.

Sammarco said others may have known Glenara was being abused, but didn't act.

"I think it's a case of a number of people knowing what's going on," she said, "and not saying anything."

Reporter Kimball Perry contributed.

HISTORY OF FAMILY'S TROUBLES

• June 2012 - Hamilton County Job and Family Services receives report that Andrea Bradley abused one of her children.

• September 2012 - JFS takes custody of all five of Bradley's children.

•September 2013 - Bradley's children returned to her; JFS workers monitor her and the children.

•December 2013 - Hamilton County Juvenile Court magistrate and JFS agree to end protective monitoring of Bradley and her children.

•2014 - Glenara Bates hospitalized for "failure to thrive" and later released to Bradley.

•March 29 - Glenara, 2, pronounced dead at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center