Father of Sullivan County foster child breaks his silence following son’s hot car death
The heartbroken father of Monticello toddler, Antonio Suarez-Ware, is breaking his silence in an exclusive interview with News 12 after the child died in July while in a foster home.
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Charly Suarez says he has reminders of his little boy everywhere.
“This one is from the funeral home,” says the 30-year-old gesturing to a photo of his son. “I have his ashes and everything.”
The heartbroken father of Monticello toddler, Antonio Suarez-Ware, is breaking his silence in an exclusive interview with News 12 after the child died in July while in a foster home.
Suarez says the 2-year-old and his older brother were taken six weeks earlier by Sullivan
County Social Services following “quite a few” police calls for loud, verbal arguments with the children’s mother.
“It was only arguments. No physical abuse. They thought it would be a good idea for us to get ourselves together,” says Suarez.
Suarez says the couple were court ordered to undergo therapy, parenting classes and find more suitable housing, and that his son was killed while they were undergoing those steps to regain custody of the children.
State police say the toddler was left by a caretaker outside the foster home in Monticello for more than four hours in a hot SUV on a 90-degree day. Sarah Carter, 33, is charged with criminally negligent homicide in the case and faces a maximum sentence of 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison, if convicted.
“That’s not enough,” Suarez says. “That’s why I’m not stopping to get justice. I don’t care if takes the rest of my life.”
Suarez says carter is Antonio’s foster mother’s daughter. He’s hired an attorney and plans to sue the state and county.
“I held my son for three hours in a funeral home in a sheet. I hope I never have to see anyone else go through that,” Suarez says.
Suarez alleges that he reported multiple instances where Antonio had bruises and cuts during supervised visits. The boy’s caseworker claims she was fired for filing too many complaints against Antonio’s foster mother.
Sullivan County has not commented on the abuse allegations.
Suarez says his older son was moved to another foster home after Antonio died and that the family will be back in court later this month in their ongoing efforts to get him back.
