MONTICELLO – The family of Antonio Ware who died this week after he was left inside a car for several hours in Monticello in the sweltering heat continues to allege the 2-year-old boy was neglected by his foster family.
On Saturday, Ware’s aunt, Georgette Howard, provided Mid-Hudson News with a picture of young Antonio with a large contusion on the left side of his forehead. Howard said Ware’s father took the picture of Antonio after his death. Howard and her family allege that this is further evidence of the abuse that Antonio Ware suffered at the hands of the foster family.
Due to the graphic nature of the photo, Mid-Hudson News will not publish the picture. Ware suffered a cardiac arrest on Tuesday while inside a vehicle for several hours outside the Sleepy Hollow apartments on Terri Lane in Monticello.
“I was so angry when I saw that picture,” Howard said. “They abused my nephew who was innocent and defenseless. Why would they do that to him? We are all taking this personally. It hurts to see what they did to a little boy and we have all been crying about this.”
A spokesperson for Sullivan County has directed all inquiries about Antonio Ware’s death to the District Attorney’s Office and State Police. Sullivan County District Attorney Brian Conaty has not returned several phone calls seeking comment about Ware’s death. No arrests have been made in the case.
According to several sources, Ware and his 3-year-old brother, Carlos, were removed from their parents’ home by Sullivan County in about May and placed with the same foster care family without going through the Department of Family Services’ legal team. Howard said the boys were put into foster care because their mom, Shanell Ware, and her boyfriend suffer from mental health issues.
Howard, who lives in Wichita, Kan., said she is now trying to gain custody of Carlos Ware through Sullivan County Family Court. She has had custody of Shanell Ware’s 15-year-old daughter for two…
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