My deepest sympathy on the loss of your daughter and granddaughters / Terri Weeks (Mom to angel Dustin Allen Meece, 1982-2002 )
When I read about others tragedies, my heart goes out to you. How awful that a mother could do that to her 2yr old. You all are such loving, giving, generous parents and grandparents that , I am sure, would have raised those girls right through high school.
What amazed me is the lie about not having medical care! Anyone, with or without insurance, can take a child to the emergency room! Plus, if neither works, they can get all the benefits from social services, including food stamps and Medicaid! All you need do is sign up! This is nationwide, so no one can say it is because they moved, etc. She just did not want anyone to find out what she was doing to her children. I am sure it was both of them, but as a mother, we are a child's primary caretaker when they are little and responsible for their well-being. If he was abusing them, then she had to turn him in. It sounds like they just did not need to be parents at all. They were too young and irresponsible. It is ashame no one noticed something was wrong with the baby that day he had her in court all day. I guarantee he doped her up to keep her quiet, because all the way through they both keep saying she was whiny and whimpering....well, they'd whimper , too, with a dislocated and broken shoulder! A very painful injury! Poor little girl had no way to get help on her own!
I can't imagine what Haley's life will be like. How old is she? I am sure she saw all this, and wondered when they were going to turn on her. She will need a great deal of counseling later on in life,and perhaps sooner than people think. She'll need to have help in grieving for her murdered sister, help in knowing who to trust(if you can't trust your parents, who can you trust)and treatment for post traumatic stress disorder. That SOB of a stepfather doesn't know what stress is, compared to being a little person being beat to hell by adults! Maybe he will find out in prison. They don't like child molesters or murderers in prison.
I will pray for your family that you can have peace, and that Haley will grow up unharmed. I hope you were able to get custody of her. I lost my only beloved child to 4 boys from his high school who murdered him out of jealousy. They were no count dogs, nobodies by their choice. They quit school, and the one boy got kicked out of his home and my son was trying to help him straighten out, go back to school, quit drugs, get a job. Dustin never saw it coming when they blew him away on purpose and I was on my way home the next day, after being in the hospital for almost 2 years from a carwreck. It took me a long time to even believe it was true, then, we had the trials, which ended up being plea bargains. I have a memory-of site for him , too. Just type in his name, Dustin Meece, and it will take you to his story. Dustin grew up in Columbia, SC and we were always down at Myrtle Beach or Charleston or Winyah Bay in Georgetown! He loved the beach, the water! Pawley's Island was one of our favorite places to stay...every 4th of July. I moved back to SC 3 yrs ago, in Greenwood, but I have a tough time keeping friends. Once you tell people what has happened in your family, they don't talk to you again, because they don't know what to say. Only the people who have lived through equivalent tragedies know the meaning of such deep grief, but also know that we are still people...we need to talk, and have fun, still. We will never be the same again, but, we are working on the new version of ourselves! I am sure you know what I mean. And then, for your daughter to be convicted, or actually plead guilty, to her child's death, is beyond fathoming! You know you did not raise her to be that way, and so should everyone else. She was an adult and made her own fateful choices. And, when drugs and alcohol are added to the mix, things just get worse. It sounds like Amber needed a whole lot of counseling, herself. But, losing her to prison is just like a death.
Again, I am so very sorry for your losses. It is a sad thing that no one steps in until it is too late. But, we should know that Holly is with her maker. All children go back to Jesus because their spirit is pure. I am heartbroken for all of you that you will never see her grow up, become a woman and mom herself, and that it was all taken away from her so selfishly. This is why we are supposed to be our brother's keepers. If Amber had had a friend to talk to, or help her out with the children, little Holly may well be alive today. I really do think she had some form of mental illness that caused her to act like this. No one in a normal state of mind would do this. Postpartum psychosis can last for a long time, untreated.
I hope you have been able to salvage your relationship with Haley and let her know how much she is loved, and that none of it is her fault. Sometimes small children will harbor crazy ideas that it was something they did. She needs to be reassured it was not her fault in any way. I'll say prayers for you and Amber, Holly and Haley.
Many blessings and hugs to you!
Terri Weeks, Mom to angel Dustin Allen Meece, 1982-2002
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Tributes and Condolences
21 months today they took you from my arms. I miss you more each day. 
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