Christmas joy for Detroit family: 5 siblings back home after weeks in Florida foster care

Valerie Mitchell prayed that her five grandsons would be home by Christmas.

The Detroit mother and grandmother, as well as others in their family, got their prayers answered Tuesday afternoon.

The boys, ages 1 to 17, who relatives said have been in foster care for more than a month in Florida after their mother was arrested, flew home to Michigan with a case manager and into the custody of their grandfather Kevin Mitchell, of Detroit.

"I am so happy, I just don't know what to do," Valerie Mitchell said Wednesday, less than 24 hours after her grandsons arrived home. "I'm just happy they're home."

The ordeal began Nov. 8 when authorities said the 1-year-old was found unresponsive by the Atlantic Ocean in 57-degree weather, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

The newspaper reported that passersby found the boy, who was reported missing by an older sibling. Authorities accuse the boys' mother, Shamika Mitchell, 37, of Detroit, of abandoning him. She was in Florida with the children, her parents saying she vacationed there and was interested in moving there.

She was released, but rearrested Nov. 10, and currently is being held in the Volusia County Jail without bond on charges of aggravated child abuse and unlawful desertion of a child, according to online jail records. Her next court date is Jan. 11, according to Volusia County online court records. Her attorney, who is listed as a public defender in court records, did not return messages from the Free Press.

Grandfather's home study completed last week

At the end of last week, the family and others helping them were praying the boys would be home before the holidays after a home study for grandfather Kevin Mitchell was completed.

Kevin and Valerie Mitchell flew to Florida immediately after the situation unfolded and stayed for about a week trying to bring their grandsons home.

"It's good that they made it happen before Christmas," he said Wednesday.

The boys' older brother, DeShawn Gales Jr., who also is to have a home study, said he thought the quintet might return home in time after a hearing last week.

"Who wouldn't want the family reunited?" the 20-year-old asked, adding he hopes to see his brothers Thursday based on his work schedule and new baby of his own. "I thought they'd have at least an open mind about the situation."

The difficulty of bringing the boys home from Florida

Her parents said now that the boys finally are home, they can focus on their helping their daughter and will work to get her an attorney.

Valerie Mitchell said her grandsons, TayShawn Mitchell, 17; JShawn Gales, 15; RayShawn Gales, 10; TyShawn Gales, 7, and Carvon Baker, 1, were split among three foster families in Florida, but got to see one another, and were attending school there.

She said paperwork, laws and a lack of communication and help from officials in Florida stifled their efforts to bring the boys home with them last month. The grandparents said they were told at that time that grandparents didn't have any rights.

Kevin Mitchell said this made them "fight even harder" to bring their grandsons home. Media coverage, the grandparents said, may have been the push they needed to get movement on the case.

"They have lives," Kevin Mitchell said of his grandsons, "and they have people who love them here."

17-year-old's senior year of high school disrupted

DeShawn Gales Jr. said he talked to his brothers on a daily basis when they were in Florida and said they wanted "to come home so badly." He said his brothers are happy to be home.

Gales said the situation threw off TayShawn for his senior year of high school. TayShawn played football and basketball for Cornerstone Lincoln-King High School, where his coaches helped the family with resources and attorneys to contact.

Elijah Richardson, athletic director for Cornerstone Education Group, which oversees Cornerstone Lincoln-King High School and five other charter schools in the region, said last week that he's known the family for about three years and communicated with TayShawn while he was in Florida.

He said the boys wanted to see their mom and their family. He said he advocated for the teen at school and tried to seek help for the family through contacts in Michigan and Florida.

Richardson, who is known as Coach E, and is executive director of WHOH Detroit, a mentoring program on Detroit's east side, said TayShawn had to be dropped from school, but would be able to return and graduate from the high school when he got home to Michigan.

Back-to-school plans and getting some rest

The boys' grandparents said they received word Monday that their grandsons would be coming home the next day. Kevin Mitchell said it was the first flight ever for the boys. They were reunited with him and their aunt about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at the airport.

Kevin Mitchell said his grandsons "slept good" Tuesday night. The grandparents said TayShawn returned to school Wednesday and the other boys will go back to school after the Christmas holiday.

Richardson said TayShawn, a good student and school leader who other kids look up to, was allowed to play some sports while in school in Florida. Kevin Mitchell said TayShawn "deserves a lot of praise" as he kept his brothers together.

Florida's approach to children's cases

Georgia Clarke, spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Children and Families, said in an email last week the department conducts investigations concerning allegations of abuse, neglect or abandonment and that information regarding investigations is confidential per Florida statute. The department was unable to discuss the boys' case, citing the statute.

“Keeping families together is of the utmost importance, and in some instances, that is not possible, and in those cases, the department works with our partners to make sure placements and services are in the best interest of the child," Clark wrote.

Clark wrote that the department is required to begin family-finding efforts as soon as a child is taken into custody and throughout the duration of the case, as necessary.

Bob Wheaton, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, could not confirm whether Michigan was working with officials in Florida on the boys' case as any work would be confidential under the Michigan Child Protection Law.

He added the department "was saddened to hear this news from Florida. The department works to do whatever it can to protect and find safe and loving homes for children in situations like this."

Wheaton wrote that, in general, when children are in another state, there is a legal process that must occur for them to be placed in Michigan. At the request of another state, the state health department works to determine if there is an appropriate placement in Michigan.

Kevin Mitchell said the family did get help from someone in the end.

"I'm glad whatever happened to move people, a news story or whatever made it happen, we're glad it happened," the grandfather said.

Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 5 Detroit siblings who spent weeks in Florida foster care back home