DE 15/2010/WED 02: 30 PM P.

OOI 07

DUBUQUE
COUNTY ATTORNEY

C9111lty Attol"lJ"Y
Fax Transmittal Cover Sheet
R,lph R. Potte!"

Assistant
Caunt\' Attotneys
ChristIne O. CQr\(e!1,
First Assistant Pho"e:
Timothy J. Gall'Sher
Jean A. Becker Re: Cd:
Lyl, R. Galliart
MI<h,.1 ). Whalen
Mark T. Host,ger
Alish, A. Stach
Robert J. Richte!,
Brig!t H. Barnes [J Ureeot o For R.eview o 1'1.."se Comment 0 Pi ........ Reply o Please R""'ycle

Victim ilt~d W~
51 Comments!
AS'$lstance
Julie C. Homb
HollY 1"1. Elliott

Dubuque COUlltyCourthouse, DLlbuque, Iowa 52001-7057

(563) ,589-4470, F,x [563) 589A477
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lDW DEC 15 PH I: 09
Defendant Tamelia Harris
DPD CASE NO.: 10-30549
Page 1of6

IN THE
IOWA DISTRICT COURT FOR DUBUQUE COUNTY
Before the Presiding
Judge or Magistrate
STATE OF IOWA
VS Iowa District Court
Tamelia Harris Court House, 2nd Floor
Defendant
700 Central Avenue

DOB: 08/20177 SSAN Dubuque County,

1970 St Joseph 5t Dubuque, Iowa 52001

Dubuque, IA 52001
Criminal No, 0131/ FEC!l.lB3737

COMPLAINT
The Defendant, Tamelia Harris, is accused of the crime of Murder in the 1st degree, in
that the Defendant did, between May 21th through June 20th 2010, in Dubuque County
Iowa, knowingly acted in a manner that created a substantial risk and intentionally used
unreasonable force, torture or cruelty that resulted in bodily injury and led to the death of
her dallghter Cecilia Denise Harris, DOB of 10/18/2008, under circumstances manifesting
an extreme indifference to human life,
in violation of Section 707,1,707.2 (5) of the Iowa Criminal

" c:J ie
, L:corporall)W:l Hor;:;tft:8~
Subscribed in my presence and sworn to before me this 17 u~ day of
D.eU4~~ ,:;&9:1}) 7 ~
DE 15/2010/WED 02: 31 PM p, 003/007
"

DPD 149-05-90 L8

Defendant: Tamelia Harris

DPD CASE NO.: 10-30549
Page 20fS

STATE OF IOWA ) ss.

DUBUQUE COUNTY ) AFFIDAVIT

The undersigned, being 'first duly sworn, states the following in support of probable
cause to believe the offense charged hereon has been committed and that the Defendant
has committed it: .

On 06/29/10 at approximately 3:04 PM the Iowa Department of Human Services received

an anonymous call stating that Tamelia Harris DOB 08/20r17 of 1970 st. Joseph's St
Dubuque IA reportedly sent her daughter, Cecilia Denise Harris DOB: 10/18/08, to live with
someone elsE!, DHS opened a case and met with Tamelia Harris at her residence. Harris
reported to DHS that Cecilia was with her grandmother Mary Drummond in North Carolina

DHS contacted the Dubuque Police Department who. in turn began a criminal investigation.
It was determined that no one had seen Cecilia since shortly after Memorial Day weekend,
The Dubuque Police contacted Mary Drummond, who resides in South Carolina.
Drummond denied seeing Cecilia at all. Drummond reported to Dubuque Police that
Tamelia told her, via a telephone conversation in April, that Cecilia had fallen and hit her
head and Harris wanted to bring her out to Drummond. Drummond agreed to tak.e the child,
but Tamelia never arrived with her. Drurnmond also reports that Tamelia told her that she
doesn't like the child and that she told Mary "I hits her, and I don't know why", Tamelia made
a comment that Cecelia was "a cry baby". Mary told Tamelia that she needed to bring
Cecilia to her before the end of Mayas she was planning to take a cruise then, Throughout
the month of May, Tamelia and Mary had several conversations and Tamelia kept pushing
the date back as to when she would be able to bring Cecilia to South Carolina.

While Mary was on her cruise in the end of May, first part of June, her daughter, Shanetta
Brewster, received a text message from Tamelia. Tamelia indicated that other family friends
had taken Cecilia and she no longer needed Mary to take her. Shan etta was told that the
child went to live with family friends who were planning to move to Atlanta Georgia or
somewhere in Virginia. This person was identified as Shantalea Bauder who is in the Navy
and currently stationed in West Virginia. Shantalea was identified by Janet Bauder of
Scotland South Dakota. Janet informed the Dubuque Police Department that Shantalea is
her daughter and that Shantaleawas making plans to take Cecilia and Harris newborn
baby. Most of the conversations pertaining to this were between Harris and Janet Bauder.
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DPD 149-05-90 La

Defendant Tamelia Harris

DPD CASE NO.: 10-30549
Page 3 af6

Dubuque Police met with Tamelia on June 30 of 201 0 who staled that Cecilia had fallen
down stairs and injured her head. Tamelia advised this injury consisted of a swollen soft
spot. Tamelia advised she did not call a doctor because she was afraid of DHS. Tamelis
then reported she took Cecilia to Davenport, IA to live with her friend Shameka Davis,
Tamelia described Davis as a person she knew from Chicago and that she had run into her
recently at a gas station in Chicago, Tamelia stated that she has since had several
conversations with Davis about Davis taking Cecilia for up to a year, Tamelia could not
provide a phone number for Davis, nor did she have her address, Dubuque Police
contacted the Davenport Police Department for assistance in locating Shameka Davis. No
one of that description was located, Dubuque Police contacted DHS, DOT, and State of
Iowa Records for food stamp assistance and no one matching that description was located.
The high school where Tamelia supposedly met Davis was contacted and they did not show
any record of a Shameka Davis during the time frame Tamelia told investigators the two
attended school. Tamelia also did not know any of Davis' associates and waG Lillable to
provide police with a means of contacting Davis or Cecilia and said that she had written
down Davis' phone number on a piece of paper at home.

Tameliaadvised that she met Davis in Davenport the week after Memorial Day weekend to
drop off Cecilia and most of her belongings. Tamelia was asked if something had taken
place that caused Cecilia's death and she denied such an event taking place. Harris was
adamaDt that her friend Shameka Davis had Cecilia,

Subsequently Harris was arrested and charged with Neglect and Abandonment as police
continued their investigation into the whereabouts of Cecilia D. Harris.

PoUce learned that Harris told multiple stor.ies.to multiple people concerning the
whereabouts of Cecilia. Such stories included that the child Was in Chicago with her sister,
a member of her church took the child, the child was with her grandmother in South
Carolina, the child was with family friends, as well as the story that she told investigators.

Tamelia Harris turned her cell phone over to DubuqLle Police and her text messages from
06/30/10 were acquired. Harris was discussing the fact that the Police and PHS were
investigating her and that she was angry with the people who had spoken to the police,

Police also spoke with Bonita Anderson DOB 07/29/1973 of 514 East 22 nd Street who
provide daycare for Harris and had watched Harris' children including Cecilia after she
reportedly had fallen down the stairs. Anderson reported that the child had a small scrape
and nothing more serious than that. Anderson states that the last day that she babysat the
Harris children was on 05/22/10 and that Cecilia was not there, She was told by Tamelia
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DPD 149-05-90 L8

Defendant: Tamelia Harris

DPD CASE NO.: 10-30549
Page 4 of 6

that her oldest child was watching Cecilia, Tracy E, Carroll, DOB 02/29/1991 of 929 High
Bluff reports that she saw Cecilia after she had fallen and that Cecilia seemed fine. The only
injury that Carroll saw was a cut above her right eye, Carroll stated it was a normal '
childhood Injury much like a scraped knee. Police contacted Harris' employer, Premier
Cleaners, who indicated that Harris called in to work on April 9th to state she wound not be
in on the 9th or 10 th as her child had fallen down the stairs. Harris brought Cecilia into '
Premier Cleaners on the 10th of April and several of her co-workers witnessed Cecilia's
injury.

Rokeita Durrah, DOB 05/24/1986 of 2515 Central reported that she and Shannon Dennis,
00801/22/1978 of 967 High Bluff went over to Tamelia's house as Tamelia was giving a
set of bunk beds to Dennis during the first week of June. Both report that there Was a
horrible smell coming from the basement where Tamelia kept sealed garbage bags that
were full. They stated that Tamelia's younger children were home including Naomi and
Ruby but Cecilia was not present. Also around that same time period Tamelia also was
contacting several people in order to get a fire pit. Stacy Rhone DOB 02/16/1965 of 2308
Queen reports that in early June, Tamelia had contacted her about borrowing a fire pit.
Harris also reportedly asked Kelly Carroll of 567 % High Bluff if she or her mother Lynn
Carroll would loan her a fire pit as she wanted to burn her garbage and made a comment
about having maggots in the trash. Tamelia eventually got a fire pit from Jennifer Ward DOB .
11/09177 of 887 Edison St. around the middle of June, In subsequent interviews of
Tamelia's friends and associates it was learned that she had been burning items in afire pit
that she had recently acquired, A neighbor of Tamelia's, Richard R Hoffman DOB '
09/26/1965 of 1986 8t Joseph 81., reports that some time before Feather's Day he saw a
large fire in Harris' backyard. Hoffman stated that the flames were at least 6 feet high and 3
feet wide and stated that it was dusk outside.

Tamelia told Lorean Durrah DOB 01/04/1985 of 1499 Bluff #3 that she started burning four
days before Fathers Day (June 20th ) and that she would wait until 1 or 2 in the morning .
when her neighbors would be asleep before burning, Father's day was also when Tamelia
gave birth to a newborn. Reportedly Tamelia's mother, Linda Harris, came and stayed with
her for g days to help with the baby. During her visit Linda inquired about using the fire pit to
have a barbeque. Tamelia was adamant that she not use the fire pit to cook any food,

Latakka O. Bolds DOB 03/27/1982 of 2352 Washington said that Tarnelia told her she didn't
like the way Cecilia would look at her and never felt a close bond to her. Tamelia told her "I
don't like the way the bitch looks at me". Tobias Drummond recalis a time in April that he
was speaking to Tamelia on the telephone when he heard a chikj crying and Tamelia was
scolding the child and cailing the child "a little bitch", Tobia.s then heard Tamelia strike the
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DPD 149-05-90 L8

Defendant: Tamelia Harris

DPO CASE NO.: 10-30549
Page 5 of 6

child and he asked if that was his daughter. Tamelia confirmed that it was.

Lawanda D. Williams DOB 10101/1977 of 2555 Central # 4 recalls a time near the end of
May when Tarnelia had called her and told Williams that she "did something real bad" but
would not go into details. Williams added that 2 days later she met Tamelia at the park and
Cecilia was notthere. Allegedly Tarnelia gave different Versions of where Cecilia was before
telling Williams that "she had to duke CeCe up last night". Tamelia told Williams that she
had to revive CeCe by giVing her mouth to mouth resuscitation.

Janet Bauder reports that she was in town over the Memorial Day weekend when Tamelia
called her and was crying hysterically. Bauder reports that Tamelia told her she had done
something that Bauder could not help her get out of. Bauder reports Tamelia added that she
would not understand nor would she forgive her. Bauder reports that Harris would n'ot settle
down and that she asked Harris "you didn't kill anyone, did you?" At which point Harris
became defensive and asked "why would you even ask me that?"

During a Memorial Day cookout at Jennifer Ward's house several people saw Cecilia and
reported that she appeared to have two black eyes and that her head was swollen. These
people included Ron Ward Jr., Kaleigh Hartley, Sandy Frederick and Jennifer Ward.
The Wards report that Tamelia would often get right in Cecilia face and swear and yell at
her to shut up. On the day of the cookout Tamelia instructed Ron Ward Jr. not to even talk
to Cecilia as she would just start crying. Ron Ward Jr. reports that he picked up the child to
feed her and that Cecilia attacked her food as if she hadn't eaten for days.

On or near June 7th , one of Harris's other kids saw Cecilia "sleeping" on Tamelia's bed.
When the child returned home from school Cecilia was gone as was all of her belongings.
Her children report that they never saw her again. They kids were told by Tamelia that
Cecilia was with her auntie in Chicago. Tamelia does have a sister in Chicago, Angel Harris;
however Angel would have last seen Cecilia at the end of March through the first part of
April, 2010.

During the execution of a search warrant of the Harris residence police located what
appeared to be blood stains inside the master bedroom closet on the walls and carpet. It
appeared that the carpet inside the closet had recently been cleaned. It was also learned
through an interview of Rokeita Durrah that Tamelia had confided in her that she slammed
Cecilia's head off the headboard of her bed within the master bedroom and threw the child
into the master bedroom closet. Rokeita went on to say that Tamelia's other children heard
Cecilia crying from. within the closet.
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DPD 149-05-90 L8

Defendant: Tamelia Harris

DPD CASE NO,: 10-30549
Page 6of6

DNA obtained from a Guthrie Card containing a known bl.ood sample of Cecilia taken at the
time of her birth, was compared to the swabs taken from inside the Harris residence, The
stains from Harris closet were confirmed to be blood and through DNA analysis itwas
determined to be the blood of Cecilia,

Police searched a small fire pit in the backyard of Tamelia residence and discovered What
they believed to be small human bones, The Medical examiner's office was contacted and
sent two technicians, Walker Hodges and Brian Drewry, who collected this evidence and
transported the remains to the State Medical Examiners Office, Dr, Caitllier, ME" along with
Dr. Michael Finnegan Ph, D" a forensic anthropologist, confirmed the remains were that of
a small child, DNA testing was done on these remains and compared to the known samples
of Cecilia's parents, Tamelia Harris and Tobias Drummond, The results indicated that the
remains were 9,95 trillion times more likely to be the biological offspring of Harris and
Drummond as opposed to originating from an unrelated individual from the African
American population,

/ :-~~,~--/
c= .,Corporal Kurt Horch
Su.~cri.bedjln~}Worn to before me thi:'_. /5°- day of
f..&(,:'''./I/\/0£/ ,2010, . ~..., .~-..
. .~~ ,

. Notary ,Public, Sta,.,6f I wa

The foregoing Complaint with attached affidavit having been filed before the
undersigned, it appears from said Complaint and Affidavit that there is probable cause to
believe an offense has been committed and that the Defendant committed the offense,
Dated this day of

BY THE COURT:
Judge Magistrate f Iowa District Court .