Should Shaniya's father be held accountable for her death, too?/ Welfare agency probed in case of Shaniya Davis

Shaniya Davis' death is second tragedy for the child's father

The death of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis is the second time her father, Bradley Wayne Lockhart, has dealt with tragedy.

In 1998, Lockhart's wife of seven years was murdered along with her 19-year-old sister at a home on Graham Road. The two women were bound, gagged and shot with a shotgun in what police said was a robbery.

Three others were also shot; one, 24-year-old David Epps, also died.

Lockhart and his wife, Vickie Sue Lockhart, had three children together. Since the murders, the children have mostly stayed with their grandparents in the Remington subdivision behind Seventy-First High School.

"We've had a lot of tragedy in our family," said Byron Coleman, the father of Vickie Sue Lockhart and Channel Coleman. That's about all he could bring himself to say, after the discovery of Shaniya's body Monday near Sanford.

Two men were later convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the 1998 killings.

Shaniya had spent most of the past three or four years living with Bradley Lockhart at his home in northern Cumberland County. Lockhart has said he didn't have much of a relationship with Shaniya's mother, Antoinette Davis.

Last month, Lockhart let Shaniya live with her mother after she had appeared to get her life together, he said. Davis and another man are now implicated in Shaniya's disappearance.

Byron Coleman and his 13-year-old grandson helped in the search for Shaniya, which began Sunday morning along N.C. 87.

Coleman said he also spent Saturday night driving back roads between Sanford and Siler City looking for any sign of Shaniya. The former Marine said he had talked to officials at Camp Lejeune about helping with the search about an hour before Shaniya's body was found.

"It made my stomach just turn," said Phyllis Coleman, Byron's wife, of hearing the news. "It was heartbreaking to us ... We loved Shaniya, too."

The Colemans said Bradley and Vickie Sue Lockhart's three children -- Byron III, 20; Cheyenne, 17; and 13-year-old Chivas -- are handling the loss of Shaniya as well as they can. They are Shaniya's half-siblings.

"Cheyenne just broke up," Phyllis Coleman said. "That was the only sister she ever had."

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Several people who were close to 5-year-old Shaniya Davis and her father Brad Lockhart say they tried to intervene in the child's life because they felt the little girl was at risk.

A close friend of Brad's, and his ex-father-in-law both say they offered to take in Shaniya rather than let her live with her mother, because they say when the child was in the custody of her mother, bad things happened to her.

"My wife says she saw cigarette burns on Shaniya's arms," said Brad's friend Tim Allen, who says he is very angry over what happened.

Byron Coleman, Brad's ex-father-in-law, said Shaniya "had burns on her legs, arms and things" after visits with her mother.

"She had a cigarette burn on the corner of her eye, which she claimed her grandma did when she went over there," added Shaniya's half sister Cheyenne Lockhart.

The three all claimed that the 5-year-old suffered physical abuse while in the custody of her mother.

"When you wanted sex that's where you went," Coleman said. "You knew what the girl was doing. You knew what she associated with, so why place your daughter in that situation?"

Because of that, Coleman blames Lockhart for Shaniya's death.

"To me Shaniya would be alive today if she wasn't placed in that situation," Coleman claims.

Coleman says he offered to give Shaniya a home, but says Brad declined his offer.

Allen tells a similar story.

"He had an alternative, I gave him a way out," Allen explained; however Lockhart would not let Allen take care of Shaniya.

"I'm fighting mad. All this could have been avoided," Allen said.

Allen had already taken in Shaniya's half sister Cheyenne, because she said her dad wouldn't take care of her.

And Cheyenne says Brad did not provide for Shaniya.

"He didn't take care of her, his girlfriends took care of her," she said. "He loved her, but she was raised by other people. He hasn't been in her life."

Meanwhile, the Cumberland County Department of Social Services said it can not comment on what it was doing in regard to Shaniya because those comments might compromise the on-going criminal investigation.

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..............Through the grief, family and friends revealed to ABC11 Tuesday that they offered to take care of Shaniya Davis in October, but Lockhart declined.

"I believe he is 99 percent the reason this happened in the first place," family friend Timothy Allen said. "And he came to me and he was like I'm going to let Shaniya go stay with her mom basically she needs to learn how to be a mom."

The Allen's have taken care of Lockhart's 17-year-old daughter Cheyenne Lockhart after they say he kicked her out on the streets.

Myrna Allen says during a recent visit to her home she noticed scars on her arms and asked the 5-year-old what happened.

"She says 'cigarette' and then I said 'from where,' she said 'my momma's friends,' and I said 'they were burning you with butts,' and she said 'some times'," Myrna Allen said.

Lockhart's former father-in-law, Byron Coleman, offered to take care of Shaniya, but says he was turned down too.

"He put the child in that position," Coleman said. "He knew the mother was doing drugs there. He knew that people she associated with was drug people."

Lockhart called the allegations speculation and said he wasn't going to talk about it.

"This isn't about Brad or Antoinette or Mr. McNeill, this about Shaniya and the memory of a beautiful lady, a beautiful angel," he said.

If Lockhart wasn't worried about his daughter's safety at the time, his sister said she was.

"I worried about her just as if she was mine," Carey Lockhart-Davis said. "Antionette and I never really got along because I felt as if the way she neglected her children."

And Cheyenne Lockhart says her father wasn't in either of their lives that much.

"I understand he did love her, but he wasn't always in her life," she said. "She was raised by ex-girlfriends, another child's mother in Florida; I mean other people raised her." ....................

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So basically daddy says "I been a good daddy." and his older child says "Oh yeah daddy loves us but he ain't around much"


It sounds to me that she spent her short life being passed around from one place to another. It is so sad this cherub faced little soul had no real home of her own and no one who put her first.

In our local paper there was an article that she had been living with her aunt while the dad traveled for work. The aunt said that when she left Shaniyah with her mom for a two day visit, the mom, Anntoinette, called the aunt and said she was not bringing her back. possession is 9/10ths of the law. The aunt said that she and the dad were going to court when he got back from working out of town to get sole custody. One week before she vanished Anntoinette called the aunt and said "you will NEVER see her again".

i have no tolerance for Moms or Dads that use the kids as a weapon or a pawn against other people.

I dont care how many shouts to the Lord the father can give, he is also responsible for this child death.
Cigarette burns on the child and he sent her back to that hell?? - well hes as bad as the mother.
What about his sister the Aunt? ALL of them are responsible too - they alll cry afterwards - they make me sick - I have come to have ZERO tolerance for their sorry-ass bull after a child has died.

How could anyone turn their back on cigarette burns?? So Myrna just looked the other way? I would have been on the phone to DSS the second I could after hearing a child was burned by butts. OMG.

OMG cigarettes burns! How much more proof did Shaniya's father need to see she was a unfit mother!! Why did he ever allow his sweet angel to get anywhere near her horrible mom!!

The drugs too, she was a known user. I do not understand what they were thinking.

wow.. i backed up the dad before but not anymore.. so he KNEW what kind of monster she was and he sent her back??? wtf?? why? he should sit in jail next to the other monster

This poor, poor baby.... What a friggen world we live in, numerous people see signs of abuse to a CHILD, and do nothing.

Five-year-old Shaniya Davis had only lived with her mother for about a month before she disappeared and was found dead on Monday. Her aunt now says Antoinette Davis was a neglectful mother.



Carey Lockhart-Davis, the sister of Bradley Lockhart, Shaniya’s father, said “Antoinette and I never really got along because of the way that she neglected her children… I feel robbed. I feel that Shaniya was robbed.”

Bradley Lockhart had raised Shaniya with the help of his sister until about a month ago, when he agreed to let the girl stay with her mother. Antoinette Davis appeared to be on the right track and had obtained a place to live and rectified her financial situation, according to Lockhart. He felt she was ready to be a mother once again.

“She had asked if she could be a mother, and I felt she was sincere in asking, and I figured to give her a chance,” Lockhart said during an appearance on CBS’ ‘The Early Show.’

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He just wanted to get rid of the responsibility!! What a jerk!!! He can say he loved her all he wants to, but actions speak louder than words....He didn't care about her one little bit!!! If he did, he would NEVER have let that other monster have her back...He was just relieved to have somebody else have her....OH I AM SO UPSET ABOUT THIS!!!! :pale: :x

Let me rant on....That sorry excuse for a father should be charged with child neglect and/or abuse for allowing that poor child to go back when he KNEW that she was not in a good place there....He is LYING when he says that he thought MONSTERMOM had gotten her life together....HE JUST DIDN'T CARE!!!!

I agree Lisette but what about his sister, Shaniyas
aunt - she did most of the raising - why did she let her go back? I dont understand these people at all.

I doubt the Aunt had any control of this. Should the Father be held accountable? After reading the story this morning by her Fathers friend I say yes he should. I am only Katies guardian but if something happened to her because I placed her in a dangerous or abusive situation I was told I would be charged with child neglect or worse by a family lawyer.

The thing about this case is, who had legal custody?
From what I understand this woman had Shaniya
she wasnt married and even though she lived with the father - he had no legal custody or paperwork. Would he then be considered her guardian or only the mother?

Several people who were close to 5-year-old Shaniya Davis and her father Brad Lockhart say they tried to intervene in the child's life because they felt the little girl was at risk.

A close friend of Brad's, and his ex-father-in-law both say they offered to take in Shaniya rather than let her live with her mother, because they say when the child was in the custody of her mother, bad things happened to her.

"My wife says she saw cigarette burns on Shaniya's arms," said Brad's friend Tim Allen, who says he is very angry over what happened.

Byron Coleman, Brad's ex-father-in-law, said Shaniya "had burns on her legs, arms and things" after visits with her mother.

"She had a cigarette burn on the corner of her eye, which she claimed her grandma did when she went over there," added Shaniya's half sister Cheyenne Lockhart.

The three all claimed that the 5-year-old suffered physical abuse while in the custody of her mother.

"When you wanted sex that's where you went," Coleman said. "You knew what the girl was doing. You knew what she associated with, so why place your daughter in that situation?"

Because of that, Coleman blames Lockhart for Shaniya's death.

"To me Shaniya would be alive today if she wasn't placed in that situation," Coleman claims.

Coleman says he offered to give Shaniya a home, but says Brad declined his offer.

Allen tells a similar story.

"He had an alternative, I gave him a way out," Allen explained; however Lockhart would not let Allen take care of Shaniya.

"I'm fighting mad. All this could have been avoided," Allen said.

Allen had already taken in Shaniya's half sister Cheyenne, because she said her dad wouldn't take care of her.

And Cheyenne says Brad did not provide for Shaniya.

"He didn't take care of her, his girlfriends took care of her," she said. "He loved her, but she was raised by other people. He hasn't been in her life."

Meanwhile, the Cumberland County Department of Social Services said it can not comment on what it was doing in regard to Shaniya because those comments might compromise the on-going criminal investigation.

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Brad Lockhart has 5 other children with 3 woman per JVM.

I was watching Jane. I had to walk away. It is like a bad dream to hear about this situation. Poor little angel. She looks so sweet and deserved so much more.

So the dads sister's last name is Davis and the babys mother is Davis? Are they related?

A thought crossed my mind. Could this new pregnancy be Shaniyas fathers baby?

Perhaps he let her have Shaniya so he could have sex with the mommy. Men always think with their penis.

I believe the young man speaking on NG tonight is one of the children being cared for by the ex inlaws. What a nice well spoken young man. I bet he is a product of those inlaws. The FIL said he was driving the streets looking for Shanyia. Poor man they sure dumped a heap on him and his wife.

I think you are right jeanne, the polite son was raised by the parents of his deceased mother. They are such good people they even offered to have Shaniya live with them. The dad sure seemed to enjoy procreating, more than the responsibility of caring for all of his children.

I tried to stay away from this one. In fact I had to take a little time out from everything when I saw the man going into that motel room with little Shanyia. Then when the found her little body...I just felt completely spent. I kept saying "how can they do this to children".

Then I happened to glance at the tv and saw the daddy with his arms up to the sky grieving and I said to myself...hummm something is up with him. He is lapping up this sympathy a bit too much.

Sure enough he "travels" and everybody else picks up the pieces.

I wonder why he would listen to a one night stand instead of his best friend and his ex inlaws who were raising his other children. Plus his own sister???

He had to see cigarette burns on his child. I donno know any more.

I'm too upset to really say anything other than YES he should be held accountable :mad:

Damn straight. excuse my french.

Bottom line. If he knew the mother was doing drugs and that Shanyia had cig burns on her body, then YES - he should be held responsible for allowing his daughter to stay with her "mother." IF he had not allowed her to, we would not have this horrible and sad thread going.

Also, I wonder. Did or does the dad have legal papers saying he had sole custody of Shaniya?

From what I understand neither the father or mother had "legal" custody. It was just an agreement between the two of them. Whoever wanted her at the time, I'm guessing..........or maybe whoever got "stuck" with her.

BRAD doesn't want to talk to the Media? But he sure isn't shying away from the bright lights of the cameras.
Loving, Hugging, Patting, Crying, Praying! He's not talking because he doesn't want to get caught in mistruths.
He's turning out to be yet another non-parent who wants the world to think he's something that he is not!

aaauuugghhhh
Brad... wear a freaken condom! stop breeding children you do not intend to support and care for!


and NO! I'm NOT SORRY!!!

this really sucks bad. its bad enough to lose a child, that is tragic, that is hard to deal with, but now the whole family is wondering WHYYYYYYYY

I wish NG would have those inlaws on her show, but I know she wont - she wont want to trash the father.
Her point of view is that he might have been irresponsible but the mother is the one responsible for her death. But to me this was a chain like dominoes
one bad decision upon another and another from the father to the aunt, the school the Social services department, the other people in the trailer all contributed to the death of a child. It DOES take a village and we had better start getting the word out
that you ARE responsbile when there is an innocent life in the balance. Thats the message Grace should have on her show - not coddleing the father. If she doesnt want to trash him -just dont show him on the show. He makes me just as sick as the mother does.

I totally think that sorry excuse for a father should be held accountable!!!! he is nothing more than a sperm donor to all of these different women, all this fool is thinking about is the child credit on his damn tax form!!! I was so sickened when his son was talking to NG and poor ole daddy came walking up behind him, I mean really i just want to punch the ever loving life out of this man, and I am sorry to sound bitter but I hope this man suffers guilt to his grave as he should! so should everyone else involved who did nothing to try to stop this!! and on the last note, that aunt, I am leaning more towards she is full of s@@t! she probably didn't want any more responsibility. I would have adopted that little girl and NEVER let anyone hurt her EVER!

oh one more rant........... I'm also angry at those hotel workers!! They seen them go in, they seen them go out, I'm sorry but IF I knew that was a missing child about to leave from my sight with some man, I would have been all over that s.o.b! he would of had to have killed me too! I would have fought tooth and nail, risked going to jail for violent behavior. Makes me wonder if that hotel is a provider for these kinds of crimes.

You have made some extremely good points, NM Girl!!!

sooo true! ugh so many people could've saved those girls' lives and yet nobody did!

Sure seems to me the Father of this precious little girl should be held accountable. Yet, all of the punishment in the world won't change the horror she faced. HOW, I wonder can these people live with themselves knowing how miserably they failed such an adorable little child.

Shaniya’s Aunt Carey who expresses anger. Carey Lockhart-Davis said, “I am disgusted but yet in so much pain at this point," she says.”She was such a vibrant child and such an important part of my life and it is hard at this time for me to understand as to why someone would take this sweet blessing away from me."

I wonder how the father or the aunt would have felt about being dropped off at Antoinette's to live in a filthy trailer with sewage leaking underneath it. I heard that the trailer was a pig sty. You can't tell me that they didn't know. Poor Shaniya had no choice in the matter. What were these two people, that should have been protecting her, thinking. The two of them gave Antoinette "this sweet blessing". I thought they both looked embarrassed on the Oprah Show. JMHO.

I agree with you, BJ. They HAD to know the condition of the trailer and what Antoinette was all about.

BTW, been meaning to say this. I love the name, Antoinette. At least, I used to. Now, everytime i think of it, I will think of this horrible excuse for a "mother".

Shaniya's father basically raised her. She looked well cared for in her pics, she went to school, her house looks nice. He sent her to live w/ her "mother". This woman was evicted from her last house for drug trafficking, her current trailer was a "pigsty", Shaniya was taken out of kindergarten, the trailer had a sewage problem and in the past sweet Shaniya came home w/ cigarette burns on her body! Why in the heck would that father want his daughter to live in such AWFUL conditions??? What chance did she have? None. He knew that.
Poor Shaniya must have wondered why the only life she knew was taken away from her and she was now made to live in squalor. No friends, no school. And, she was always in the bedroom!!!
Apparently that "father" just didn't want the responsibility anymore.
That video of her entering the elevator in her killer's arms, when she is looking up at the numbers on the elevator...is chilling. We know what happened next. They are all to blame.

Cherylz, your post is right on the money and chilling!!

Her father is LIVE on the Today Show as I type this. May have to take a xanax after his inverview. Will add as soon as it becomes available online.

OMG, he had not seen her since Oct 2. This guy is lying through is frickin teeth. This is a MUST-see interview, AND...he has a lawyer. OMG, I hate this ass. Meridith is asking him what red flags he missed and he said he doesn't think he missed any. WHAT??????????????????????????

He says he has spoken to Antoinette since Shaniya went missing. Honest to God, this guy is in major denial and NOT one tear. Not one!

Will make sure this is posted as soon as I find it. If I am not online and anyone else finds it, please post below this post.

Thanks!!!

Here is the video of Shaniya's dad on the Today Show - you have to scroll down just a bit and then click on it.

oops, forgot to add it. Sorry!!

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It drives me crazy that Bradley said he didn't see anything wrong with how Antoinette was treating Shaniya, plus..she wasn't in school.

NMgirl wrote:oh one more rant........... I'm also angry at those hotel workers!! They seen them go in, they seen them go out, I'm sorry but IF I knew that was a missing child about to leave from my sight with some man, I would have been all over that s.o.b! he would of had to have killed me too! I would have fought tooth and nail, risked going to jail for violent behavior. Makes me wonder if that hotel is a provider for these kinds of crimes.

That is what my husband said, he would have thrown his arms around his neck, wrestled him to the ground and held him til LE got there, better safe than sorry,. mario may have had a gun or knife and the employees were scared. You have to check in your vehiclle in NC, with the tag number, the hotel should have ID'd his car and BLOCKED it. I stopped a robbery in progress a few yrs ago blocking the driveway w/my car. Dumb, but it worked!

You stopped a robbery? Good for you. And yes, it is dumb but thank God you are alright!!!!!!!

I too saw pops on Today show today. He makes me sick to my stomach. Saying he never saw any signs. What did he think everybody was telling him anyway.

I think he and the mom were "getting it on" and that is why he let her have Shanyia.

She is pregnant now and I wonder who this one belongs to?????

Very, very good points, Jeanne!! You may have hit the nail on the head.

Published: 07:24 PM, Fri Nov 27, 2009
Reader questions sympathy for father
Bill Kirby

The father of a 5-year-old girl who was raped and murdered is garnering no sympathy from Kenneth Thompson, who says Bradley Lockhart acted irresponsibly.

You'll find more comments on my blog, The Gospel Truth, I Think, at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Your turn: "Bill," Thompson writes, "why is the press giving Shaniya's dad a free pass on this situation? The depraved circumstances of her death require that all parties involved with this little girl go under the microscope. What does it say about him that he was ever involved with this woman. A one-night stand, I read ... And the decision to let her go live with her mother was not, in my opinion, out of any goodness of his heart or concern for his daughter. The mother already had one older child; was pregnant with another. What a logical thought process to think that the perfect situation would be to burden her with another one... Enlighten me with insight that would beg to differ."

My turn: Bradley Lockhart, 39, says in hindsight that he regrets his decision to allow his daughter, Shaniya Davis, to live with her mother, who is charged with placing the child in sexual servitude for prostitution and child abuse. Lockhart says he was not apprised by the Cumberland County Department of Social Services of drug issues or other matters concerning the mother or her living environment. He says simply that he wanted to give Antoinette Davis, 25, the child's mother, an opportunity to raise Shaniya because Davis had gained steady employment and was demonstrating stability. It is apparent, particularly from photographs, that Shaniya was loved and well cared for while living in the care of Lockhart and his sister, Carey Lockhart-Davis. I will say that Lockhart lives in a $240,000-plus, 2,419-square-foot home in north Fayetteville, and Antoinette Davis was living in a rented 12-foot by 40-foot trailer in a mobile home park, where the manager tells me the living conditions were unhealthy with molded dishes, etc. And that family members, including Lockhart's daughter, Cheyenne, 17, say the father was aware of issues with Antoinette Davis. The state's Child Fatality Task Force is reviewing how local Social Services handled the case, and if there were improprieties or neglect. Shaniya Davis' body was found Nov. 16 in woods near Sanford. Mario McNeill, 29, faces charges of kidnapping, rape and murder.

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This "father" makes me literally ILL!!

NO responsible parent would have let that child
go over to that trailor in those conditions and I believe he was aware of it. And, as I have stated before,
NO! not everyone deserves a second chance when they have not proven that they deserve one. Lock him up
too