For the first time, a mother arrested after bringing her child from Pennsylvania to Boston, sparking an Amber Alert, is speaking publicly about the case.
Tiffany Cherry spoke only to necn, saying she thought she was doing the right thing by driving her infant son to be treated at Boston Children's Hospital. Now, she's fighting to get her children back.
Balloons in hand, she showed up to Boston Children's Hospital to visit her newborn son.
"Qisai and Qavai are my world," Cherry told necn. "I love my babies like you love yours."
Her two children are now in the care of Department of Children & Families. She lost custody of them after she was accused of endangering the life of 2-month-old Qavai Cherry by defying a nurse's suggestion to take the severely dehydrated boy to a Pennsylvania emergency room.
Cherry says at the time, she was relying on her motherly instinct, and her gut told her the infant would get better care at Boston Children's.
"I would always, always, always do what I have to do to make sure that my kids are OK," she told necn, fighting back tears. "I'm their mother. That's my job."
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The mother is from the Boston area, and her family has been defending her since her arrest Saturday.
She says her last child was stillborn - family members say she has been overly cautious with Qavai.
Stephen Weymouth, her lawyer and a family friend, says her choice should not have prompted a manhunt.
"I don't think that it was a proper use of the Amber Alert," said Weymouth. "I think Pennsylvania overreacted."
Cherry is currently out on bail on a charge of being a fugitive from justice. The young boy is recovering at the hospital and is expected to be OK.
The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families says Cherry's case is being evaluated, and that Qavai and 4-year-old Qisai would remain in state custody until the investigation is over.
"Please pray for my family," Cherry said. "We need prayers."
As part of her bail conditions, Cherry had to settle outstanding warrants in Massachusetts, which, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, she did this week.
Within the next week, she must also return to Pennsylvania to answer to the child endangerment charge.
