CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A distraught grandmother left the courtroom Wednesday morning screaming that her daughter was going to go scot-free after a judge ordered a continuance in the case of Cheyenne Maddox.

Maddox, 33, was in court facing five counts of child abuse and neglect following the July 6 death of one of her six children in the home, 13-year-old Kadaris Maddox. The cause of death remains under investigation.

Early that afternoon, authorities responded to a call regarding a deceased child at 24 Virginia Terrace. When they arrived and saw the condition of the house and yard, authorities charged Maddox.

On Wednesday, Nicole Martin, who represents Maddox, asked for the continuance, or postponement, and to be excused from the case.

Judge Sharon Massey Grimes asked if Maddox had obtained other counsel. When it was clear she did not have another attorney, Grimes ordered Martin to stay on the case until such time as she did. Another attorney, Tyler Howard, was previously assigned the case and was allowed to be excused.

A 60-day continuance was granted, and the next court appearance was set for Sept. 21.

Family reactions

Emotions ran high among family members as Cheyenne’s mother, Dawn Maddox, her brother Billy Maddox, and others gathered in the hallway outside the courtroom after the hearing.

Dawn told Clarksville Now that Kadaris was severely disabled. He was wheelchair-bound and had severe cerebral palsy.

She said Cheyenne had told her terrible things about Kadaris. “She said God sent him here to torture her,” Dawn said.

Clarksville Now has reached out to Cheyenne Maddox for comment.

“I don’t think there should have been a continuance,” Billy Maddox said. “They are just giving her two months to take off.”

Clarksville Police spokesman Scott Beaubien said the autopsy results are not back, and the death is still under police investigation. “They do not know, there is no set timeline for the Medical Examiner’s Office,” he said.

In the meantime, Cheyenne’s mother is worried about her other grandchildren.

“She told (DCS) she only had six kids” when Kadaris was found, she said, noting there is a seventh child who is somewhere in Michigan with a man Dawn Maddox dated 30 years ago.

Dawn said the other five siblings are now in the custody of the Department of Children’s Services.

‘Doing the best she could’

Others had a different take on the situation. Starla Lamirande of Clarksville said her friend Cheyenne Maddox is a good mother who had been through an extremely difficult time.

“She was a very loving mother, and they (she and her children) have gone through horrific things that no one should ever see happen,” Lamirande told Clarksville Now.

She said Maddox was doing the best she could as a single parent.

“She felt very alone and that she was doing the best she could to make sure every child was happy,” Lamirande said.

Lamirande said she tried to help. “I always allowed her to bring up the convo, or just talk with the kids and her,” she said.

Prior DCS complaints

A local therapist who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Kadaris could not communicate except with people who knew him well.

“I personally called the Department of Children’s Services two times,” she said. Both reports were in 2019. “I filed (a report) officially, by myself. I called to add a second report to the first one … but they had already closed the case because they could not communicate with (Kadaris), despite being given all the resources necessary to communicate with him,” she said.

She said her first report stemmed from Kadaris not wanting to go home, expressing that he felt he was not safe and that he feared his mother, and expressing that she was not feeding him.

“The second report … was because he had a bruise on his face/neck. He said it happened at home and that his mom knew it happened and did nothing to stop it or help him,” she said.

When the therapist called to check on the status of the DCS report, trying to ensure the safety of the child, a DCS worker told her a supervisor was being notified of the situation.

Sandra Brandon, a representative for DCS, said they could not discuss the case, but that it is being looked into.

“Our agency is aware of this case and is conducting an investigation in conjunction with our local law enforcement partners,” Brandon said.