The Mysterious Death of Quawan Charles
News photos of 15-year-old Quawan “Bobby” Charles chronicle the black teen’s transition from adolescence to early death.
One photo captures the wide-eyed innocence of a boy. In a later photo, his face has matured, and he stares expressionlessly into the camera; his forensic autopsy picture reveals awful damage to his otherwise boyish face.
These photos tell us very little about Quawan’s life before death—details that could humanize him. What school did he attend? Did he have a favorite hobby or sports team? Did he have siblings or pets? What were his life goals?
In contrast, when a deceased person is young and white, family, friends, even teachers, come forward with anecdotes about his or her academic achievements, favorite hobbies, accomplishments, and future goals.
Not so, with Quawan, his short life is reduced to a few photos.
Equally absent from national media stories is a detailed timeline of events that occurred between October 30, the day Quawan left his father’s Baldwin, Louisiana home with a woman and her teenage son, and November 3, when his naked body was found in a drainage ditch near a sugar cane field in Iberia Parish, Louisiana.
What happened during those hours (days?) that the Quawan spent with Janet Irvin, 37, a white woman, and her 17-year-old son? Who was the third person seen in the car that picked him up? Why did Irvin pick him up? Where did they go? What did they do? When did she last see him? What drugs did he/they consume?
According to KACT News, Quawan’s autopsy report states, “(his) body was naked when it was found, and that he had been captured alone on surveillance video near where his body was found…it also states that Charles was spotted ‘crawling in culverts’ near a school, and that he became combative and threatened to kill himself after smoking drugs, possibly marijuana or mushrooms.”
Yet, no one is cited as a witness to these events. The coroner’s office lists the cause of death as drowning, and the manner of death, “undetermined.”
More questions: When and how did he get naked? With whom was he combative? Who heard him threaten to kill himself?
Also frustrating is the dearth of facts about Irvin and her son. Most black arrestees have every aspect of their personal histories reported, especially prior convictions or substance use. Any negative event, however old, is fodder for the media.
Irvin’s life, on the other hand, has not received that kind of scrutiny.
So, I will ask. What does Irvin do? Is she married? Does she have prior criminal charges or convictions? What is her drug use history? Why was she hanging around with minors? Does her son have a father? Does she have family?
According to the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Department, the death of Quawan is “under investigation.” Really? Who and what is under investigation? If the investigation has not been completed, why has Irvin been charged with "contributing to the delinquency of a minor” and “failure to report a missing child”?
Most disturbing is the fact that the Baldwin Police Department, according to Quawan’s parents, did not take seriously their concern for his whereabouts.
According to CBS affiliate, KLFY, Assistant Police Chief Samuel Wise says, “(The department) did follow protocol. They did everything by the book. There was no evidence supporting that Charles was abducted or in any danger to cause an “Amber Alert.”
Wise points to video footage of Quawan willingly getting into a car with three others as proof.
Nonetheless, a family’s assessment of possible danger for a minor should take precedence over bureaucracy. The goal should be to get a child home safely, even if that requires a breach of protocol.
With so many questions unanswered, the death of Quawan Charles remains a mystery, and it is unlikely that we ever will know the full truth about his final days.
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