Police: 3-Year-Old Tortured By Mother's Boyfriend

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Darak Williams is sought on felony Child Endangerment charges in connection with the death of three-year-old Kavannah Salvador.

Scranton Police are asking for the public's help in locating Darak Williams, 26, and Kashema Reddish, 25, who have not been seen since the death of Reddish's 3-year-old daughter, Kavannah Salvador, in February 2008.

On Feb. 21, 2008, authorities say Williams and Reddish brought Kavannah to the emergency room of the Community Medical Center in Scranton, Penn. According to police, Williams told nurses he found Kavannah in bed, not breathing, after a mid-day nap. Forty minutes later, Kavannah was officially pronounced dead by doctors.

Police say a C.A.T. scan performed on the tiny girl revealed a multitude of traumatic injuries, including contusions to the back of her skull, optic nerve damage and hemorrhages throughout her brain. As detectives revealed the C.A.T. scan findings to Reddish, they say the mother appeared unemotional and at times unresponsive.

As Kavannah's body was wheeled off to the morgue, Reddish and Williams were taken to police headquarters for additional interviews. Reddish's 18-month-old son, Knowledge, was immediately placed into child protective custody.

At the police station, cops say neither Reddish, nor Williams could adequately explain the scars, bruises and puncture marks which covered Kavannah's body. But cops say both exercised their right to stop talking to police and abruptly exited the station.

Authorities say when Reddish left the station, she not only left the police behind, but she abandoned Kavannah's lifeless body, which remained in the morgue. Cops say Reddish's relatives were forced to fight to obtain permission to bury the little girl.

Endangering The Welfare Of Children

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Williams told cops he was an amateur boxer.

According to Williams' own timeline, Kavannah and her brother, Knowledge, got up at 8:00 a.m. and were eating a breakfast of cereal and soy milk by 9:00 a.m. By 10 that morning, the kids were saying prayers, and did so again at noon.

Williams told police that between noon and 1:00 p.m. he bathed and fed the children lunch, which consisted of Ritz crackers. Around 1:30 p.m., Williams said he put the kids down for a nap.

When he went in later to wake the kids up, Williams said Kavannah seemed sleepy and lethargic, so he decided to let her sleep. When he went back later to rouse the young girl, he noticed she wasn't breathing.

Police say at that point, Williams called Kavannah's mother, Kashema Reddish. Williams told Reddish she needed to get home -- there was an emergency. When Kashema arrived, cops say she found Kavannah in bed, not breathing.

Neither Williams nor Reddish called 9-1-1, police say. Instead, the couple loaded Knowledge and Kavannah's limp body into their car and drove to the hospital.

Around a quarter to five, cops say Williams walked into a Scranton hospital with Kavannah in his arms, yelling for help. A nurse responding to his calls grabbed the child and immediately started C.P.R., but cops say little Kavannah was dead on arrival. An autopsy performed on the little girl later determined her death to be a homicide.

The Truth About Darak

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Kashema Reddish is wanted on felony Child Endangerment charges in connection with the death of her three-year-old daughter, Kavannah Salvador.

Cops say by all accounts, Kashema Reddish was a loving and caring mother until a chance encounter changed everything.

Relatives say Reddish bumped into Williams in New York City while on a visit from Alaska, and the pair began a relationship. Not long after Reddish returned to Alaska, Williams visited here there.

According to relatives their relationship seemed to deepen during that brief visit and in a matter of weeks Reddish had packed up her two children and moved back to Pennsylvania with Williams.

Authorities say family members were surprised by the move, considering Reddish's mother had specifically relocated to Alaska to help her with the children.

In Scranton, Reddish and Williams moved into a half-duplex in what cops describe as a nice neighborhood on Hyde Park Ave. While the couple referred to themselves as husband and wife, detectives say the two were not married, and Williams was not the children's biological father as he had claimed.

Cops say Williams bragged to a detective that he was an amateur boxer, and reportedly told friends he was not only in training, but also in talks with HBO.

Cops say that was a lie.

In the process of investigating Kavannah's case, police discovered Williams' MySpace page. On it he poses, purportedly showing off "expensive watches," holding up a necklace bearing what police describe as a "diamond-encrusted boxing glove," and flashing cash.

Despite his delusions of grandeur, cops say Williams is merely a creep who beats up on defenseless kids.

Darak Williams and Kashema Reddish are wanted on felony charges of Endangering the Welfare of Children.

Cops believe they may have fled to New York City.

Scranton Police File Murder Charges

On Dec. 23, 2008, Scranton Police issued arrest warrants for both Darak Williams and Kashema Reddish in connection with the death of three-year-old Kavannah Salvador, Reddish's daughter.

It was on Feb. 21, 2008, when Williams and Reddish rushed the limp body of little Kavannah into a Scranton hospital emergency room. Shortly after her arrival, the little girl was pronounced dead.

Williams and Reddish were questioned by police, but were ultimately released.

Dr. Wayne Ross, a pathologist, concluded that the cause of the young child's death was multiple traumatic injuries and the manner of death "homicide."

By the time authorities had enough evidence to charge them, Williams and Reddish had fled the state. Police have been looking for them ever since.

Cops say in addition to child endangerment charges the two face, Williams is charged with first and third degree murder. Reddish faces third degree murder, accessory to third degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, obstruction and hindering an investigation charges.

Investigators have pulled out all  the stops to find these two suspects and continue to reach out to the public for information on their whereabouts.

-- by Denni Michael Wagner, AMW Staff

AMW Capture #1058

AMW Tipsters Bring Accused Child Killer To Justice

After watching America's Most Wanted on March 7, 2009, a group of church parishioners in Buffalo, N.Y. went to their police with an incredible story: they said that they had recognized two individuals from their church, Darak Williams and Kashema Reddish, on the AMW broadcast. They gave cops an address where the two fugitives may be located.

Police arrived on the scene early on the morning of March 9, and the two were arrested without incident.

As they were led away in handcuffs, Williams proclaimed his innocence, while Reddish silently stepped into the police car, her head bowed.