Kenai Whyte | Homicide Watch Boston

Stepmother charged in murder of Roxbury toddler

Gail Waterhouse — Tue, 10 May 2016 22:24:45 -0400

Nearly three months after his death, a woman has been charged with the murder of Roxbury toddler Kenai Whyte.

On Sunday, January 31, Boston Police responded to 23 Alpine St. after receiving a 911 call for a "trauma incident." Emergency responders rushed Whyte to Boston Medical Center, where he died two days later. Whyte died of blunt force trauma to his head and body.

Kenai Whyte

A worker from the Department of Children and Families reportedly checked on Kenai just days before, and he was deemed to be clean, well-fed and with no behavioral issues.

According to his mother, Kenai loved firetrucks, the TV show PAW Patrol, liked to eat donuts, and enjoyed being a big brother.

On March 29, 23-year-old Maria Buie, Kenai's stepmother, was charged with assault and battery on a child in connection with Kenai's injuries, which included a fractured vertebra in his neck, and cuts and bruises on his head and body.

On Friday, April 29, Buie was indicted in Suffolk County Superior Court on second-degree murder charges. According to police:

An extensive factual investigation by Boston Police homicide detectives developed evidence and witness statements suggesting that only Buie was alone with the child after others present in the home observed him to be healthy and uninjured.

Buie has twice previously been arrested for assault and battery, according to the Boston Globe. Kenai's father, Dave Whyte, has been arrested on charges related to domestic violence, and multiple people had taken restraining orders out against him in the past, the Globe reports. A few months before his murder, Kenai's mother, Ashley Young, tried to alter the custody order that gave Whyte half physical custody of Kenai, but the court kept the ruling in place.

Buie is currently being held on $100,000 cash bail stemming from the assault and battery charges.

Police investigating Roxbury toddler's death

Gail Waterhouse — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 18:12:24 -0500

A toddler who was rushed to the hospital Sunday night has died, and police are investigating.

Police have not officially identified the child, but FOX 25 reports the toddler is a 3-year-old boy, and a GoFundMe page identifies him as Kenai Whyte.

Boston police responded to the home at 23 Alpine St. in Roxbury around 9:40 p.m. Sunday after receiving a call for a "trauma incident." When officers arrived, they found the boy unresponsive and Boston EMS took the child to Boston Medical Center. He died on Tuesday.

Kenai Whyte

According to a FOX25 interview with Ashley Young, who says she is Kenai's biological mother, said Kenai was visiting with his father, stepmother and younger sister over the weekend when the incident occurred.

On the GoFundMe page, Young says Kenai died after sustaining "trauma to the head and body."

The Department of Children and Families took custody of the toddler on Monday and also removed his infant sister from the home. The Boston Herald reports a DCF worker had checked on the children at the Alpine Street home on Friday.

The Department of Children and Families, which took custody of the boy on Monday, said it had an open case with the family and that a social worker had called a care provider as recently as Friday, who reported that the boy was “well-fed, clean,” and had “no behavioral issues.”

Andrea Grossman, a DCF spokeswoman, declined to provide further information, including how long DCF has been involved with the family or what prompted officials to open a case.

Police had not released any other details as of Wednesday evening but said the investigation is ongoing and asked anyone with information to call Boston Police homicide detectives at (617) 343-4470.

Anonymous tipsters can call the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS or text the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463).