Once again, we have an simple little news story that omits a lot of the relevant background detail. Such as the fact that the father in question, HANIF SIMS, obtained and retained custody back in New Jersey despite abuse allegations and weapons warrants. Let's look at the real facts behind this case:
October 2007: The mother loses custody in classic scam, where she isn't even informed of the court dates. This is typically seen in family courts (like New Jersey's) with well-earned reputations for corruption.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/05/more-on-crawl-space-girl-dad-scammed.html
As noted in the article below, after Mom loses custody, she never sees her daughter again. This is very often seen with abusive fathers with a lot of coercive control issues, especially when there is a corrupt court backing them up.
Dad receives and maintains custody in New Jersey despite a weapons warrant and an ongoing abuse investigation. In fact, New Jersey child protection authorities file a neglect and dependency case against the girl's custodial father, investigating whether he was physically and emotionally abusing her. In fact, they "claim" that they were in the process of taking the girl away from her father when he moved.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/05/custodial-dad-girlfriend-not-suspects.html
But if child protection was in the process of taking child custody away from Dad, why was he able to move to Colorado with no apparent moveway objections from the courts? And the evidence shows that Dad did NOT make a run for it. Why? Because the New Jersey officials notified El Paso County, Colorado about their abuse investigation. So they obviously knew where he had gone. El Paso County Department of Human Services does not act on these allegations.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/05/custodial-dad-girlfriend-not-suspects.html
October 2008: After neighbors make complaints, an El Paso County Department of Human Services child protection worker goes to the house and interviews two children there. The girl told the worker she isn't supposed to talk about them and an older boy (the gal pal's kid) also says nothing.The complaint is deemed “inconclusive” and El Paso County officials do not open a case. In other words, the girl's apparent fear and evasiveness are either overlooked or deliberately ignored. The El Paso authorities never follow up.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/05/custodial-dad-girlfriend-not-suspects.html
Neighbors say that when girl seemingly disappeared, they ask her custodial dad/gal pal what happened and were told that she had gone back to New Jersey to live with an aunt.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/05/more-on-crawl-space-girl-dad-scammed.html
March 2009: The custodial dad and his gal pal leave Colorado for California.
March 14, 2009 - Dec. 9, 2009: Custodial dad, gal pal, gal pal's son, stay at Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles. Infant boy born while they are there. No sign of the girl and family never mentions a girl. Gal pal makes odd comment to staff: “I don’t think I’ve been able to appreciate that I have a new baby because of a situation that I’m in.” Mission helps subsidize an affordable housing apartment for the family. But custodial dad and gal pal leave town, leaving the children with "a friend" and "disappear." Unidentified "family members" later pick up the kids.”
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/05/more-on-crawl-space-girl-dad-scammed.html
May 14, 2010: Remains of young girl found in crawl space of Colorado home formerly occupied by custodial father, gal pal, children. El Paso County Sheriff's Department says that custodial dad, gal pal are not "suspects." However, New Jersey authorities say they have sent detectives to California, but can't find Dad or the gal pal.
July 2010: Sims and the gal pal tell a Colorado TV station that they just "found" the girl dead in the shower. So naturally, like any loving caretakers would have done under the same circumstances, they dumped her body in the crawl space of their home (er, had a "basement burial").
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/07/she-was-just-lying-there-custodial-dad.html
July 2010: After 2-month search, Sims arrested in Nevada.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/07/custodial-dad-of-girl-found-dead-in.html
August 2010: Colorado authorities suggest that this poor child may be been buried in the crawl space while still alive.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-details-on-9-year-old-girl.html
October 2010: Both dad and gal pal implicate each other in girl's murder.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/11/custodial-dad-gal-pal-both-blame-each.html
May 2011: Gal pal makes plea deal (pleads guilty to child abuse causing death). Murder charges drop in return for testimony against Sims. Sims now charged with murder.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2011/05/gal-pal-of-custodial-dad-takes-plea.html
http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2011/05/custodial-dad-faces-new-murder-charge.html
http://www.gazette.com/articles/death-120676-lynch-monument.html
SUNRISE: Monument woman faces sentencing in death of 7-year-old
June 30, 2011 7:06 AM
MATT STEINER and LANCE BENZEL
THE GAZETTE
A former Monument woman is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday for her role in the death of a 7-year-old girl whose body was found in a crawlspace.
Monique Lynch faces 10 to 32 years in prison in the death of Genesis Sims after pleading guilty in May to child abuse causing death.
In exchange for her plea, prosecutors dropped a first-degree murder charge against Lynch, and she agreed to testify against the child’s father. Hanif Sims, Lynch’s former boyfriend, is scheduled for an October jury trial for first-degree murder.
Workers were digging a sump pump when they found Genesis Sims’s plastic-wrapped body in May 2010, more than a year after her family left town. An autopsy couldn’t determine how Genesis died but found that it was the result of a homicide.
Lynch and Sims have accused each other of attacking the girl.