Mom of home-alone East Berbice children in police custody

Feb 08, 2018 News

Heroine: Little Kison Henry being embraced by his sister, Kyle Henry

The brave seven-year-old girl who was injured after she heroically saved her four-year-old brother and herself from their burning home, Monday night, has since been discharged from the New Amsterdam Public Hospital.
The child, Kylie Henry, sustained a foot injury after she jumped out from the upper flat of their two-storeyed concrete home that was on fire. In an effort to save her brother, little Kison Henry, she wrapped him in a bed sheet and lowered him through the window to the ground. She followed after by jumping through the window, injuring her foot in the process.
Divisional Commander, Lindon Alves stated that the mother of the two children has been detained and is being questioned in relation to the alleged neglect of her son and daughter. She was reportedly brought to the Central Police Station sometime around 11:30 hrs by a health official.
“We are looking at it at a criminal standpoint, so we are investigating to get to the bottom of what happened. Based on what our investigations reveal, we will seek advice on the way forward”, Alves said.
The two children, 7 and 4, were alone at home when the fire began while their mother Tamela Henry was nowhere to be found. A source close to the investigation disclosed that Henry stated that she was out trying to complete her daughter’s (Kyle) assignment for school when she left them at home, unattended.
However, residents in the area claimed that Tamela is in the habit of leaving her children at home alone for hours. There are reports that the seven-year-old girl was seen wandering the streets in search of her mother at 01:00 hrs not so long ago.
On Tuesday night, the property located at Glasgow Housing Scheme caught fire from inside the upper flat while the children were home alone. In a bid to escape, the seven-year-old suffered a broken leg as she saved her younger sibling and herself from the blaze.

The home the children lived in with their mother.

Reports are that a candle was allegedly left alight in the building and the flames caught on to the wooden floor engulfing the building from within with the children, Kison Henry and Kylie Henry trapped inside.
The fire which reportedly began sometime around 21:30 hrs attracted the attention of a neighbour who alerted others. An eyewitness had stated that the children were trapped in the building during the fire since it appeared to be locked from the outside.
The seven-year-old is currently in the care of an aunt while the four-year-old is being taken care of by their grandmother.