Mom Accused of Starving Son to Death

(Baltimore, Maryland) A 21-year-old local woman, Ria Ramkissoon, was arrested for the alleged religious cult killing by starvation of her 21-month-old son, Javon Thompson. Ramkissoon faces charges of child abuse, reckless endangerment and more.

In December 2006, Ramkissoon had taken her son and joined the religious group, 1 Mind Ministries, which operated for a time out of East Baltimore, according to relatives and police.

Court documents say cult members starved the toddler to death and kept his remains in a suitcase for more than a year, until Baltimore homicide detectives found the body in Philadelphia. [...]

The leader of 1 Mind Ministries, who identifies herself as Queen Antoinette, had a problem with Javon, who a police source in court papers said would not comply with the group's ritual of saying "amen" after meals.

Court papers say that the more Queen Antoinette pressed the toddler, the more resistant he became and that he was subsequently deprived of food and water as punishment. Javon became thinner and developed dark circles around his eyes, the source told police.

The boy eventually stopped breathing, but the group - which included Javon's mother - sought no medical assistance, court papers allege. The police source said Javon's body was placed in a back room at the group's headquarters in the 3200 block of Auchentoroly Terrace in West Baltimore. Queen Antoinette told the group that Javon would be raised from the dead, according to court papers.

After more than a week, Javon's clothing was removed and burned, along with the mattress where he lay, the police source said, according to court papers. The boy's remains were placed in a green suitcase, which the source said Queen Antoinette would occasionally open and spray the interior compartment to mask the odor, court papers allege.

The group, which also included Marcus Cobbs, Trevia Williams, Steven Bynum and two school-age children, moved to Philadelphia in February 2007, where they carried the green suitcase in the trunk of a rented vehicle, court papers say.

After living in a hotel for about a month, the two children were removed from the group by the Department of Social Services in Philadelphia, according to court papers. The group was evicted from the hotel, court papers say.

Court papers say Queen Antoinette was able to find housing for the group for about a week in March 2007 at a Philadelphia man's home. Members kept the green suitcase and other belongings in a shed behind the house long after they left, police said.

The group resettled in Brooklyn, N.Y., court papers say, and the green suitcase was found in the shed by Baltimore homicide detectives more than a year later.

Murder warrants have been issued for Queen Antoinette, 40, Trevia Williams, 20, Marcus Cobbs, 21, and Steven Bynum, 42. All but Bynum are in jail on other charges.

Ramkissoon sits in jail awaiting a bail hearing.