'I Just Want Justice For My Baby': Father Of 7-Year-Old Julissia Batties Searching For Answers In Young Daughter's Death
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Many unanswered questions remain after a 7-year-old girl was found dead in the Bronx on Tuesday.
So far, no one has been charged, but the little girl's father is speaking out and searching for answers.
"She said that she loved me and that I was the best dad. I feel like I failed my baby," Julius Batties said.
Batties cried as he described his last phone call with his daughter, Julissia Batties, who died Tuesday at her home where she lived with her mother and brothers.
"She was crying out for help. Nobody did nothing for my baby. I just want justice for my baby," Batties said.
READ MORE: Grandmother Of 7-Year-Old Julissia Batties Says She Tried To Warn ACS Before Little Girl's Death
Batties says his daughter moved in with his mom, her grandmother, when she was just 5 days old. She lived in Crown Heights with her grandmother up until March of 2020 when her mom won custody and she moved to the Mitchel Houses in the Bronx.
Police confirm they have responded to more than a dozen domestic violence calls and complaints at the home. It not known if those calls came before or after March.
Then on Tuesday, police say Julissia's lifeless body was found with blunt force trauma to her stomach and trauma to her face and arms. Her death has been ruled a homicide.
"I have fought. I have done hearings. I have done interviews. They told me I to do an independent review," said Yolanda Davis, Julissia's grandmother.
The circumstances surrounding the Administration for Children's Services decision to return Julissia to her mother's custody is unclear.
ACS is prohibited from speaking about the specifics of this case but did say, "Our top priority is protecting the safety and wellbeing of all children in New York City. We are investigating this case with the NYPD."
But Davis maintains that ACS should have never removed her granddaughter from her home in the first place because she says she would still be alive.
"They have failed me, my son. They have also failed my granddaughter, big time," Davis said.
The family says they're planning Julissia's final arrangements while the NYPD says so far, no arrests have been made.