Alice Pinder McKinney, grandmother of Shemicka McKinney; Shemicka McKinney and her six-year-old daughter, Gabrielle, who were both killed along with Shemicka’s other daughter, Alisa, aged three.
By SANCHESKA BROWN
Tribune Staff Reporter
sbrown@tribunemedia.net
THE family of 36-year-old Shemicka McKinney yesterday described the mother of two as a beautiful, intelligent woman who became depressed and “lost her way”.
Relatives identified Ms McKinney as the woman whose body was pulled out of waters off the Montagu ramp, along with her two young daughters, shortly after 10pm on Sunday.
One relative told The Tribune that she put the mother out of her home on Friday, after months of building tension. According to sources, Shemicka and her children, three-year-old Alisa McKinney and six-year-old Gabrielle McKinney, reportedly stayed in a motel until Sunday night when it is suspected she ran out of money.
Barely able to speak through her tears, Alice Pinder McKinney, Shemicka’s grandmother, said she was “angry, sad and confused” by the deaths of her two “great-grand babies”, allegedly at the hands of their own mother – a woman she raised and loved.
Ms McKinney said her faith in God is the only thing that is getting her through the “toughest time of her life” and she just cannot understand why Shemicka would “drown those beautiful babies”.
The bodies were pulled from the sea shortly after eyewitnesses said they saw a car – a dark blue Toyota Avalon – speeding off the ramp and into the water.
One eyewitness said the woman had driven to the edge of the ramp, stopped and turned around. She later returned and the car went into the water.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean said police fear the incident was a murder-suicide but added that it is too early to speculate without the official results of an autopsy.
Ms McKinney told The Tribune her granddaughter was an intelligent beautiful girl, who “had a lot of problems” and “lost her way” after graduating from college in the United States. She said “Mika”, as she was affectionately called, loved her children “with all her heart.”
She added that although her granddaughter was “sad a lot” she would have never imagined she would have “gone this far”.
“I do not understand this, not at all. Those were my babies – mine, my girls – and she took them away from me. I raised her, she has no mother and I raised her from she was a baby and when she had those babies, they were my babies. When she came back from college, she was confused and troubled – she lost her way and started to change. She lived with me for many years before deciding to go out on her own,” Ms McKinney said, during an interview outside her home.
“She could have left those children here, I could have taken them. Many people would have helped her if she was hurting, but she was too proud to ask for help. The children’s father was also around, she could have leaned on him, but she was quiet, kept her problems to herself. God only knows how I am going to cope, but the Lord will never give me more than I can bear. He knows all things and he will make this all right.”
Paula Davis, Shemicka’s cousin, said she took the mother and her children in sometime in January after the deceased told her she needed somewhere to stay for the night. But two months later, Ms Davis said Shemicka was still there and day by day the tension grew between the women who were crammed in a small apartment with seven children.
On Friday, Ms Davis, 46, said she came to the “end of the rope” with Shemicka and threw her out, after Shemicka disrespected her.
“She had an attitude problem and would never take responsibility for her actions. She blamed everyone but herself, that is why she came to stay with me, no one else in the family would take her in because of her attitude. She would be happy one minute, then angry the next,” Ms Davis said.
“She blamed the government for her problems because after she graduated from college with a degree, she still could not get a job. She worked at places like Wendy’s until she decided she was just not going to work any longer. She always made up these stories about being in a relationship with the singer Usher and saying he was going to come back for her. On Friday, I put her out because I have high blood pressure and she kept making noise and arguing and I could not take it anymore. That was the last time I saw her and the kids and then I heard about this story. She was always from place to place so I assumed she was staying with another relative, but there was only so much I can take and I have my own children to raise so I could not take it anymore.”
Families Organised Against Murder (FOAM) President Khandi Gibson and Vice President Tomico Evans showed support to the McKinney family in the wake of the tragic news.
Ms Gibson said she “felt an obligation to help a family in pain.”
Police have in the past urged people to be on the lookout for warning signs of suicide, such as talking about it or having feelings of helplessness or worthlessness.
For counselling and emotional support contact the Department of Social Services hotline on 322-2763 or the Crisis Centre on 328-0922 or 322-4999.
Comments
ispeakthetruth 9 years, 8 months ago
Wow, a college degree but she had to work at Wendy's! I don't blame the government for her selfish and tragic action, but even if that degree was in PE or general studies or something like that, she should have been able to find something more lucrative.
This is sad, but I wished she had decided on another course of action even though her situation seemed dire. She could have absolutely left the kids alone.
birdiestrachan 9 years, 8 months ago
We are not all the same, some people go through all kinds of troubles and tribulations and come out stronger than they were before, some can not take too much. I am sorry for all concerned.
TruthHurts 9 years, 8 months ago
Agreed! Everyone condems the mother..(which suicide should never be an option for anyone), but fail to realize the driving issues behind it. And where we have also failed to help! Just an observation.
Cobalt 9 years, 8 months ago
This story is so sad in every sense of the word. Those poor children. If their mother did have psychological issues, then it would ultimately be up to family and friends to assist her in getting help. This-way the lives of the victims could have been spared.
As far as the accusation of the young lady having an attitude problem goes...... I think all of us are guilty at some point or the other for displaying acts of inappropriate behavior giving the constant stress that we are all under. The strain of day to day living placed on our backs by successive governments in order to survive, is overwhelming! A single mother with a college degree can't find a reasonable job to assist her children! This blame falls solely on the government! They have miserably failed our entire country!
Observer 9 years, 8 months ago
There are many more people who show similar symptoms of mental illness like Shemicka's. They don't need favours, they need medical assistance, but their families live in denial until tragedy knocks down the door. So sorry...wish we could help her when she was alive.
prayingforpeace 9 years, 8 months ago
So many people are hurting and yes we do ignore the signs... wish more would be done to assist persons who suffers from depression. Those girls were so young and innocent; they were not even given a chance at life. We need to stop ignoring the signs and try to be there for each other. And not just monetary wise, sometimes people just need someone to listen to them and show them that you care.
duppyVAT 9 years, 8 months ago
A family should be there to either support OR get help for at-risk family members. This is a classic case of the family failing this mother and her children. And this is repeated in tens of thousands of other cases in our country.
TruthHurts 9 years, 8 months ago
"On Friday, Ms Davis, 46, said she came to the “end of the rope” with Shemicka and threw her out, after Shemicka disrespected her.
“She had an attitude problem and would never take responsibility for her actions. She blamed everyone but herself, that is why she came to stay with me, no one else in the family would take her in because of her attitude. She would be happy one minute, then angry the next,” Ms Davis said."
It's sad that the deceased relative feels it necessary to casually make such a statement on 'disrespect' when there are 3 lives lost! It's more than clear the young lady had issues and needed her family who would have seen her circumstances more clearly than she was seeing them; and with a bit of understanding and compassion. This is what depression and other psychological issues does.. it clouds the mind. I feel terrible for Shemicka and her family; but defaming her at this time now that she's gone, is not the right thing to do because the mother cannot defend herself. This to me does not show good character on the cousin's part. No one should be disrespected in their own home, but as one mother to another.. The mother may have been a problem, but what about the innocent babies in all of this?
Forgive me, just venting because this story hits so close to home!
DEDDIE 9 years, 8 months ago
The problem is that we treat psychological problems so casually. I am of the opinion that problems of the mind are more prevalent than physical problems.Just like our bodies get sick the same thing happen with the mind. We are reluctant to seek help due to the stigma of been label as crazy. A clear indication of this is the amount of persons who self medicate(rum, marijuana and the likes)
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