Investigation Into Teen’s Live-Streamed Suicide States Her Mother Reportedly Watched It Unfold
Two months ago, a foster care Florida teen live-streamed the last hours of her life in a horrifying Facebook Live post where she committed suicide. Now reports have surfaced, claiming that her mother watched and encouraged her to end her life, the New York Daily News states.
An investigation led by the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) determined that Gina Caze, the mother of 14-year-old Naika Venant, was one of the many viewers who watched the chilling video.
Reportedly, Caze insulted Venant through the stream, and coaxed her to die—failing to reach out to anyone for help during the situation. When Venant committed suicide, Caze was in tears during a press conference and blamed her child’s death on the flawed foster care system.
Venant was in and out of foster care since 2009 until 2017. Her mother conceded her parental rights in April 2016, saying she no longer wanted to be responsible for Venant. Reports state that the teen complained to the Miami foster care system that her mother did not want her anymore, and that she feared aging out of the system.
Reportedly, Caze watched the last two hours of her daughter’s life. Through the screen name, “Gina Alexis,” she wrote, “#ADHD games played u sad little DCF custody jit that’s why u where u at for this dumb s— n more u keep crying wolf u dead u will get buried life goes on after a jit that doesn’t listen to there parents trying to be grown seeking boys and girls attention instead of her books.”
According to the report, DCF received an abuse statement about Caze’s post three weeks after Venant’s death. The report also states that the teen bounced around to a total of 14 foster care homes during the last year of her life, and that her mother abused her. Additionally, “the mother’s level of non-compliance” was the reason why her patterns of child abuse were never resolved.
Caze’s attorney, Stacie Schmerling, argues the accusations are false and says that she posted the damaging comment after her daughter died, because she thought the suicide attempt was fake. Schmerling also kept blaming the foster care system for the adolescent’s death.
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