Warrants: custodial dad, girlfriend tortured two kids before their deaths (Mississippi)

Warning: if detailed descriptions of child abuse/torture are triggering for you, I would advise you NOT to read the article below. It is just utterly appalling that custodial dad JOHN DEBLASE was allowed to keep these children from their mother. It appears the only reason he wanted custody was to hurt their mom and gain a couple of extra punching bags (and that's putting it mildly). Can't say I have anything nice to say about the gal pal either. Both of them sound like total sickos.

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/arrest-warrants-detail-horrific-abuse-alabama-kids-allegedly/story?id=12354194&page=1

Warrants Depict Bizarre Tortures, Then Death for DeBlase Children
Police Say Chase and Natalie DeBlase Were Bound With Duct Tape for Hours

By EAMON McNIFF
Dec. 9, 2010

Arrest warrants describe the horrific abuse two young children allegedly suffered at the hands of their father and his girlfriend, including stuffing one of the children into a suitcase for 14 hours, before the children were allegedly killed by their dad.

As the grim details surrounding the children's death surface, police have announced they believe they found the remains of 3-year-old Chase DeBlase, allegedly dumped in the Mississippi woods by his father, John Deblase, in March.

Police are also scouring woods in rural Alabama for the body of 5-year-old Natalie DeBlase, who police allege was killed and discarded by her father in June.

The arrest warrant details bizarre punishments allegedly devised for the children. It charges DeBlase with allowing his girlfriend, Heather Leavell-Keaton, to create a night-long torture for Chase while the parents went to bed.

"Allowing Heather Leavell-Keaton (his girlfriend) to duck-tape the childs hands to the side of his legs, tape a broom handle to his back, placing a sock in his mouth and duck-taping it to his mouth, then making the child stand in a corner all night when they went to bed," the warrant says.

Police have not yet given a cause of death for Chase or Natalie although they believe the abuse played a major factor.

"We have not determined cause of death," Assistant District Attorney Joe Beth Murphree told ABC News. "Remains found yesterday and the medical examiner is looking at remains at this time. Even if exact cause cannot be determine we believe homicide can still be proved."

According to police Natalie was not spared the monstrous abuse doled out by DeBlase and Leavell-Keaton, his girlfriend since 2008.

A separate arrest warrant outlines that DeBlase allegedly allowed Leavell-Keaton to duck-tape Natalie's hands and feet before stuffing her in a suitcase.

"Duck-tape the child's hands and feet, place a sock in her mouth, place her inside a black suitcase and leave it inside a closet from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m.," the warrant says.

Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd said that Chase's body was stuffed inside a black garbage bag, wearing only a diaper, by his father close to the road because DeBlase allegedly didn't want to get lost on his way back to his vehicle.

DeBlase has been charged with two-counts of murder. He has not yet entered a plea and does not yet have a lawyer. Leavell-Keaton is in jail in Kentucky, arrested on child-abuse charges, may be extradited to Alabama today, Murphree said.

Leavell-Keaton may face more serious charges.

"It's a very intense investigation going 24/7. If murder charges can be brought, they will be brought," Murphree said.

Police say DeBlase and Leavell-Keaton, who have an infant daughter together, are blaming each other for killing the children.

According to police documents, the grisly story came to the attention of police on Nov. 18 when Leavell-Keaton allegedly told police she feared the children were dead, a report from the Louisville Police Department states. The report says she was requesting a restraining order against DeBlase out of fear he may harm their infant daughter.

"I am afraid that he is going to do something to harm our daughter," the statement says. "I feel he may have murdered his children because he said that they were nonresponsive," Leavell-Keaton allegedly told police according to the report.

"Choices were made this morning, and he had to do what he had to do," Leavell-Keaton told police DeBlase said to her, according to the report.

According to police, the couple had moved to Louisville from Mobile several months ago.
Officer Carey Klain of the Louisville Police told ABC News that as they filed Leavell-Keaton's request for a restraining order and took down her report on the children, they became aware that she had an arrest warrant in Alabama for child abuse.

Klain said her department placed Leavell-Keaton in custody and contacted the Mobile police to inform them about the statements Leavell-Keaton had made, triggering a national missing children's report as the Mobile police began trying to locate DeBlase and the children.

DeBlase was picked up on Dec. 2 in Florida. According to a report out of the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's office, DeBlase had been staying in Florida with friend Randall Melville since Nov. 30.
Mellville says he received a phone call from an associate who, according to the police report, told Melville he saw a television report about DeBlase being wanted in connection with the disappearance of his children.

"Melville said he asked John about this information which John then got up yelling 'I didn't do it,' and left the residence," the police report states.

DeBlase was picked up by police a short time later, and he again allegedly blurted out to the officers, "I didn't do it," the report says.