Mother and fiancé charged with child abuse and death of six-year-old

BALTIMORE – A Baltimore City mother and her fiancé have been charged in connection with the death of 6-year-old Brian Graham.

Jalesia Offer, 34, and Brandon Wheatley, 34, called 911 to their apartment in the 6300 block of Greenspring Avenue on Aug. 21 after the child was found unconscious in a tub of hot water, the indictment says.

When questioned by police, Offer said she was in the kitchen cooking when her fiancé took Graham into the bathroom to take a shower.

Offer said she passed by the bathroom a short time later and noticed Wheatley slumped over and Graham unconscious in a tub of hot water.

The indictment states that Wheatley told police about an illness that caused him to fall asleep when he sat down.

After waking Wheatley, Offer and the two said, they pulled Graham from the water, rubbed burn ointment on his body and began CPR until paramedics arrived.

Despite life-saving measures, Graham died at Sinai Hospital.

An officer who responded to the call found that the child had bruising and severe burns.

The mother claimed the burns were from the hot bath and admitted to hitting and slapping her child earlier in the week after accusing Graham of taking money from her purse, charging documents state.

According to police, Wheatley also admitted to becoming violent during “playful fights.”

The medical examiner's office certified the 6-year-old's death as a homicide after finding several broken ribs, a ruptured liver and internal bleeding in the head and torso, records show.

Court records uncovered by WJZ show that Graham's biological father filed for custody of the six-year-old in January of this year.

The next hearing in the petition was scheduled for Tuesday, August 27.

During the police investigation, signs of suspected child abuse were also found in an 8-year-old sibling.

According to charging documents, investigators reported that the boy had bruises on his face and was unable to lift his left arm.

The child has been taken into the care of the youth welfare office while the investigation is ongoing.

WJZ asked CPS to confirm whether Offer had contact with the agency before Graham's death, but did not immediately receive a response.

“If anyone encounters a child suspected of being a victim of child abuse, please call 911. If you wish to remain anonymous, call our Crime Stoppers network at 1-866-7LOCKUP,” said Freddie Talbert of the Baltimore Police Department.