Mother in police custody after girl murdered in Detroit

By Amy Lange
Fox 2 News

DETROIT (WJBK) -- A stranger stopped by with flowers Monday for the growing memorial of stuffed animals and balloons placed on a doorstep in memory of a little girl murdered inside. Police said it happened around 2:30 a.m. Sunday. Her own mother is under arrest, but not yet charged.

"I heard my neighbor two doors down say, 'She [has] been stabbed,'" said Kimyatta Craigmiles. "And then I heard just screaming like a torture scream."

Craigmiles ran to help another neighbor, who was already performing CPR, but little Tamaria was already gone. Her mother, 26-year-old Semeria Greene, is in custody.

Neighbors said the little girl and her four brothers should not have been in her custody, that she abused and neglected the children and she had a history of drug and alcohol abuse and mental health issues.

"There has been times when the door was just wide open, the kids in there by [themselves]," said neighbor Dion Carter.

Neighbors said they often gave the children food and clothing and had called police and Child Protective Services on Greene repeatedly. The children had even been taken away from her once before.

"Had this been done when we made the phone calls in June, this could've been prevented," said neighbor Sandrew King.

"Child Protective Services, in my opinion, did not do [their] job," Carter said.

At the apartment, the Christmas lights are still on, but the children aren't there to play with their presents and a little girl won't be returning to her school next week.

Neighbors are organizing a vigil in memory of the child and to raise awareness.

"I want to know who's watching the watchers. If CPS is watching the parents, who's watching CPS because we can't have this tragedy happen again," King said.

The vigil is set for New Year's Day at 6:00 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Apartments in front of the home of little Tamaria. The entire community is invited.