Social Worker Dead

October 17, 2006 permalink

Kentucky has had an ongoing scandal regarding children taken needlessly from their parents to fulfill adoption quotas. This may be one consequence. Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher has ordered flags flown at half-staff until sunset on the day of the funeral. In later reports the age of the social worker is 57.

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Saige Terrell, 9 months, and his mother, Renee Terrell, 33. Both are being sought by police.

Amber alert issued after social worker found dead

Monday, October 16, 2006, UPDATE: 11:45 p.m. By Charlie White cwhite@courier-journal.com The Courier-Journal

An Amber Alert was issued Monday night after a social worker was found dead in a Henderson, Ky., home and a 9-month-old boy, his mother and her boyfriend were missing, authorities said.

The victim was been identified as Boni Frederick, 67, of Morganfield, Ky. She was pronounced dead at the scene, said Henderson County Deputy Coroner Don Farris. An autopsy is to be performed Tuesday morning.

Christopher Wayne Luttrell, who police believe may be with Renee Terrell.

A warrant, charging Renee Terrell, 33, with kidnapping had been issued Monday night.

In addition, she and Christopher Luttrell are both wanted for questioning in connection with Frederick's death, said Sgt. John Nevels, head detective of city police in Henderson.

The Amber Alert was issued for Terrell’s son, Saige Terrell, who is 2-feet, 3-inches tall and weighs 19 pounds, and was last seen about 9 a.m. in Henderson.

He has brown eyes and hair, and has a scratch on the right side of his face, as well as a rug burn on the back of his neck, according to the alert.

Saige is also developmentally disabled, the alert said.

Authorities said they believe Renee Terrell took the boy and fled in the social worker’s car, a 2000 Daewoo Nubira four-door station wagon, which has a Kentucky license plate: 675 DRV.

Renee Terrell was described as 5-feet, 5-inches tall, weighing about 240 pounds. She has brown eyes, brown hair and wears glasses. Luttrell 6-feet, 2 inches tall, weighing 150 pounds. He has blue eyes and tattoos on his arms. Both Luttrell and Terrell are white.

Luttrell had an outstanding Jefferson County warrant for a parole violation, Nevels said.

Frederick was an employee of the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services and was taking the child to a residence in Henderson to visit his mother.

After co-workers did not hear from Frederick, they went to the home and knocked on the door.

They got no answer and called police, Nevels said. Police broke in the front door and found the body about 4:30 p.m. CDT Monday afternoon in the 1200 block of Clay Street in Henderson.

Gary Myrick, who is retired from state government as a social services support aide, said he and Frederick worked out of the same office in Providence.

"She was very involved with her clients, always tried to be helpful by giving them the resources they needed," Myrick said.

Myrick said Frederick owned a house in Providence but then began renting a place in Morganfield when she was trasferred there.

"She had a yard full of flowers and she loved gardening," he said.

A supervisor with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services said she could not comment about the murder case, but confirmed that Myrick was a retired employee.

Louisville Metro Police were alerted about the missing child just before 8 p.m., because the suspect possibly has relatives in Louisville, Evansville and Fort Wayne and New York.

Reporter Charlie White can be reached at (502) 582-4653. The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Source: Louisville Courier-Journal

Addendum: The two adults were arrested near Godfrey Illinois in SWAT style at 8:30 pm on Thursday, October 19, 2006. The child was unharmed.