Everything
‘looked OK’

A state official's review finds that
agencies did the right things in the
case of tiny Cedra Edwards

By Susan Kreifels
Star-Bulletin

Teen-age mother Jennifer Edwards and her boyfriend had successfully completed three parenting classes by last August and convinced social workers they were committed to providing little Cedra Edwards a safe and happy home.

So the state took the 15-month-old child from her foster home and returned Cedra to her mother, who was pregnant and planning to marry boyfriend Mika Mika Jr. this May. Her life with 24-year-old Mika, in Edwards' words, was "heaven."

But money got tight. By November when the baby came, the couple were a month behind in rent and the phone had been shut off. They started to argue.

By Dec. 17, Cedra was dead from a beating. Her 18-year-old mother was charged with second-degree murder.

An inch-thick stack of Circuit Family Court records released to the Star-Bulletin yesterday shows numerous government and private agencies helping and tracking Edwards and Mika almost up to the day Cedra died. In December, a social worker was visiting the home twice a week, last seeing Edwards and Cedra on Dec. 13.

The social worker reported that on Dec. 4 Cedra suffered facial scratches and slight bruises. Edwards said a 3-year-old cousin had hit her, and the social worker reported that she didn't believe abuse was involved. A public health nurse who visited the home on Dec. 5 said everything "looked OK."

Facing criticism that the death could have been prevented, Human Services Director Susan Chandler said the records prove agencies did the right things. Poring over the records to find mistakes, Chandler said, shows "there weren't any. The community wants to find something wrong because it was a terrible tragedy."

But the records also describe a young mother who, only a year before Cedra was returned to her, dealt drugs in Chinatown under the alias "Chica" and hung out with a drug-dealing pimp -- Cedra's father, according to the records. The father hasn't been located.

Baby's life was a struggle

In July 1996 Edwards' parents reported that Edwards had run away with Cedra for three weeks. By the time they found the 3-month-old in Waianae, Cedra smelled from no baths and was hungry. "She had been crying almost nonstop for two days," neighbors said.

Cedra's life was a struggle from Day 1.

She was born a month premature on April 20, 1996, and kept on a respirator for a month, with doctors giving her a 40 percent chance to survive. Medical follow-up was essential, but in July 1996, DHS received reports that Edwards was not taking Cedra to doctors. The state took custody the same month.

'Tremendous improvement'

From July 26 to Nov. 7, 1996, Cedra stayed with her maternal grandparents. Then Edwards and Cedra both moved to a foster home. But by Feb. 10, 1997, Edwards was kicked out of the foster home after disappearing with Cedra for a weekend, even though the child was sick, and getting into a gangfight in Waipahu.

Cedra went to another foster home and Edwards to two different shelters, one of which she was kicked out of for "lying and manipulating."

But then Edwards "made a tremendous improvement." She and boyfriend Mika completed three parenting courses. "They are both sensitive to Cedra's cues," one report said. "They are eager to participate in services. They have demonstrated good parenting skills. ... They are very attentive to Cedra ... use praise and encouragement.

"Mika has been a key factor to the success of this case," a report said.

Mika, however, admitted he had problems with anger management and verbally abused Edwards but never hit her. The couple planned to get counseling.

Edwards came from a troubled home as well. As a child she was temporarily placed in a foster home too, but reports said the family managed to work out their problems. Edwards dropped out of high school by 10th grade. She was arrested several times for destroying property and shoplifting.

No support from parents

Several reports said Edwards received little support from her parents, and social workers worried that would hamper any progress she might make.

Edwards' parents could not be reached last night for comment.

Edwards' mother, Renita Edwards, has criticized the state for returning Cedra to her natural mother and said injuries suffered by the child were ignored.