Bloomfield Baby Mourned at Larimer Service
By Jill King Greenwood, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Jun. 12–More than 100 relatives and friends packed Mt. Ararat Baptist Church in Larimer on Wednesday to remember the brief life of a 10-month-old girl killed in a day care center.
The body of Marcia Janie Poston lay in a small, white casket topped with white, pink and red roses, a portrait of the smiling Bloomfield baby nearby.
Police have said a 7-year-old girl admitted to throwing Poston to the floor at least twice Friday afternoon in Bray’s Family Day Care on Dearborn Street in Garfield.
“There are not enough words in the English language to describe what you are going through,” the Rev. Benjamin Calvert said to the baby’s family during the funeral service. “But God is with you, even when it seems he’s turned a deaf ear. He can comfort your heart and restore the joy you once had.”
During a service punctuated with sobs, mourners remembered a baby described as joyful and easygoing, with beautiful light gray eyes.
An obituary given to mourners at the service read: “She was a beautiful baby that brought new life to her family. Her little heartbeat will be missed. Her sweet smile will also be missed. We love her dearly.”
The Rev. Joan Prentice, who gave the eulogy, told the baby’s parents, Rhonda Moore and DeJuan Poston, not to blame themselves for their child’s death.
“God does not punish others for anything we may or may not have done,” Prentice said. “It’s not because you weren’t a good mother or father, or because of anything you did or did not do.
“Marcia was a gift, and she was grace from God. She is now safe in the arms of Jesus.”
Mourners followed Poston’s parents outside and watched as seven white doves were released into the sky.
Allegheny County Medical Examiner Karl E. Williams ruled Poston’s death a homicide, saying she suffered “extensive blunt force trauma” to the head. Her injuries, including a skull fracture, were too severe to have been an accident, Williams said.
Poston was one of five children being watched by Ashley Swann, 20, the daughter of the day care owner. Swann told police she was upstairs changing a child’s diaper, and returned to find Poston unconscious and not breathing.
Authorities are pondering whether to file charges against Swann or the day care operator, Loretta Bray. The 7-year-old girl is Bray’s granddaughter.
The District Attorney’s Office has referred the girl’s case to a Family Court judge, who will decide whether to remove her from her home and mandate counseling. She is temporarily in the custody of the county’s Children, Youth and Families agency.
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