A family is devastated after their 13-month-old boy lost his life unexpectedly.
The toddler was killed on January 27 when he was kidnapped by an “acquaintance” of his mother.
The mother, Mikayla Tweedie, pulled up in her car with the little boy in the back seat and another woman, who she described as an acquaintance. She left the child in the car with the woman, with the motor running, and quickly ran into the house to drop off a cat. Upon returning outside, the car was gone.
The kidnapper, identified as Antwineesha Burse, 31, later discovered to be driving without a license, had jumped into the driver’s seat and sped away. The child was not secured in his car seat.
The Milwaukee Police Department said Burse was driving a white Pontiac, which crashed into a green Dodge Caravan on Friday, January 27, at around 11:30 pm. The little boy, identified as Zarion Robinson, was killed.
Zarion was seated in his car seat in the car’s rear passenger side, and according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, the car seat was not fastened. He was pronounced dead at around 1:10 am, two hours after the accident.
The distraught mom, Tweedie, told the police that she had only been in the house for a few moments when Burse drove off with her son.
Tweedie said she phoned Burse and begged her to return the boy, telling her that she did not care about the car. She was shocked that Burse did what she did. She said she knew her well enough not to suspect she would steal her car and her child.
First responders at the accident scene found the baby awake and crying. He was still in his car seat, facing face down on the floor.
They transported the baby and the driver to a nearby hospital, but the boy was pronounced dead a couple of hours after the crash. Burse had non-life-threatening injuries and was taken into custody by police.
Zarion’s father, Eddie Anthony, told a local news outlet that he wants justice for his son’s death. He said the baby did not deserve to die, and that the family was heartbroken.
The family organized a vigil for Zarion on Tuesday night at the crash site, where loved ones and locals mourned the boy.
If convicted, Burse could get locked up for up to six years and pay a fine of up to $10,000.