Documents show Racine mother was cleared of neglect months before her children were found frail & filthy

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- New details show Child Protective Services in Racine and Kenosha Counties investigated six reports against Dashja Turner in a span of six weeks earlier this year.

Kenosha County investigators closed a case against her this spring, saying allegations she neglected and abused her five children were unsubstantiated at the time.

Turner was arrested at the end of July when the five children were found frail and filthy.

CBS 58 secured a document that was compiled by Racine County's Human Services Department, when it asked a court to remove the children from their home. It shows CPS was called six times between January 20 and March 2 of 2023.

Two complaints were singled out: On February 28 of this year, complaints were lodged against Turner and her significant other, Laquan Russell, alleging Turner fed her five children only once a day and locked them in a bedroom.

Two days later another report alleged the children had only showered twice in a month's time and Turner left the then-10-month-old crying in soaked diapers for hours at a time.

Anna Babcock says she's a family friend who was a grandmother figure to the five children. She said the family lived with her from February to April of 2023 in her Pleasant Prairie home.

Babcock said, "I couldn't sleep. I didn't feel right. I cried every night. I just couldn't take it anymore. The nine-year-old, you could see his ribs, literally."

Babcock alleges Turner would only feed her children once a day. "I tried to feed them and when I tried to give them, like seconds when they were hungry, she would pull them in the bedroom where they were staying at and not let them get a second helping."

"She'd give them like 15 pizza rolls on one plate and that's all they would give them," said Babcock.

In March, Kenosha County investigators met with Turner and Russell at Babcock's home. They observed the children but did not speak with them.

But at Babcock's home there were clean clothes, the children's hair was done in braids, and they had enough food. So the investigator wrote, "the preponderance of evidence does not exist to support child maltreatment occurred. The children are safe."

Babcock claims she called Child Protective Services and several police departments many times to try and help the children. She said, "I begged them to take these children before something happened to them." CPS could not confirm with me these attempts made by Babcock for confidentiality reasons.

In April, Turner and Russell moved the children to Racine County.

"The last time I saw them they were unkept they weren’t bathed. They were little, skinny. You could tell that they were hungry," said Babcock.

In the Racine County home, the five children were allegedly locked in a basement. They were found with injuries caused by a belt, cigarette burns, nails so long they curled over their fingertips, bodies so dirty investigators said it looked like a film on their skin.

Byron Harris is the father of at least one of the children. He said, "To be honest I can't do nothing but cry man."

In the locked basement where the children were kept, there were no lights, toilet, or sink.

The almost-9-year-old weighed less than 30 pounds. The 14-month-old weighed less than 10 pounds.

Harris claims he's also contacted CPS. "[Turner's] been bouncing all around. We find out where she is at this place and we go there, she's not there. It's like a cat-and-mouse game."

His focus now is getting his son back after not seeing him for three years. "I'm here and I'm going to fight all the way," said Harris.

Harris said the five children are now in the foster care system after being released from Children's Wisconsin.