Wis. Mom and 2 Daughters Are Found Dead After Attending Infant Son's Funeral, Boyfriend Arrested
A Wisconsin mother and her two young daughters have been found dead after being the subject of an AMBER Alert.
On Sunday, the bodies of Amarah “Jerica” Banks, 26, and her daughters Zaniya R. Ivery, 5, and Camaria Banks, 4, were found in a Milwaukee garage belonging to Banks’ boyfriend, who has been arrested.
Banks and her daughters had been the subject of an AMBER Alert after they were last seen at the funeral for her 1-year-old son, Arzel, on Feb. 7, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Fox6 and KMOV report.
Their bodies were found following the arrest of Banks’ boyfriend Arzel J. Ivery, 25, in Memphis, Tennessee, on a felony charge of aggravated battery in Wisconsin.
Banks’ aunt told Fox6 that Ivery was the father of Zaniya and Arzel.
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No cause of death has been released for Banks or any of her children. Authorities say charges may be upgraded pending autopsy results.
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Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales said the tragedy was a case of domestic violence.
“This is a systemic problem that’s been going on for generations. We all have to look back and see how we’re going to curb domestic violence in our community,” Morales said.
Banks’ aunt Shilloh Loper told Fox6, “You have to be a heartless monster to do something like this to someone.”
Loper added, “I don’t know what to even say, but I know I’ll never get over this. Not ever in my life will I get over this. I will never get over someone doing this to my niece.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
