Shae Mattie Keats-Hammond

Shae was born in Christchurch's Avonlea Birthing Centre on July 18, 1995 to Andrea and Warren Keats. 'Shae' was the name her parents had practically inked on the birth certificate before she was born. Six pounds and eight ounces at birth, she had tiny golden curls, brown eyes, wore a silver bracelet, and was inseparable from her doll, Getti. She had just started to speak and walk. Healy, Shae's killer, came into her life through Barnardos childcare, a service Keats entrusted her daughter with while she worked at Nurse Maude. Healy passed all the tests, training, police and reference checks to become a Barnardos carer. On Saturday, January 4, 1997, Keats agreed to let Healy look after Shae. After hosting visiting relatives, it was a welcome night off, and just the second night Keats had been separated from her daughter. (The first time was under the care of Shae's grandmother). Keats left Shae at Healy's Sheldon St home in Woolston between 1.30pm and 2.30pm, and stayed in contact with Healy into the night. At 5.30pm, Healy called to say Shae had had half a bottle of milk and a wine biscuit. After the 8pm Lotto draw, Keats rang to check again. Keats offered to pick up her daughter, but Healy, who secretly had been drinking, insisted Shae was OK. Police said Shae's injuries could not have been accidental. A child would need to fall headfirst, three metres on to concrete to suffer such a head injury. "There was nothing visible to the outside scalp, but it was gaping anywhere from 8-12mm under the scalp," Keats said. But behind the facade, Healy concealed dark, personal secrets. It was a sad and broken side she hid from view. A marathon seven-hour police interview exposed Healy as a secret binge-drinker, suffering from bulimia. She spoke of an abortion and being raped. Healy told police she put Shae to bed about 9pm after reading her a bedtime story. She said she had consumed half a bottle of wine and 10 stubbies of beer, but later played this down. She woke up on the floor about 3am, rose and made herself sick. Shae lay in the cot in the corner of the bedroom, breathing heavily. Keats said she got a phone call from Healy about 8.25am the next day. "Liz told me she was gurgling and making funny snorting noises. I told her in no uncertain terms to call an ambulance," Keats said. A recording played in court revealed Healy's calm, matter-of-fact voice to ambulance dispatch staff. The ambulance arrived before Keats. As Shae lay on the floor next to a port-a-cot, Keats ran her fingers through Shae's hair, over the wound to the back of her skull. "It was like a sopping wet sponge," Keats said. Later that day, about 7pm, Shae's life support was turned off in Christchurch Hospital. Police had already started knocking on neighbours' doors. Further allegations of child abuse surfaced, intensifying the police spotlight on her. Kara More left her son Clayton in Healy's care when she received a phone call to say he fell off a slide. Bruising down his cheek and ear shocked his mother. A second story Healy concocted about shutting a car door on him also failed to convince medical experts. The third victim, Chelsea Graham, was fed food laced with so much salt that Healy was accused of poisoning her. She was convicted for harming both children. For Shae's murder and the abuse of Clayton and Chelsea, Healy was sentenced to life in prison with a 10-year non-parole period. Healy was controversially released from prison on parole in March 2013 after nearly 15 years behind bars. After 20 months, she was recalled to prison after she was alleged to have looked after a neighbour's child, consumed alcohol, and failed to obey a safety plan. She was denied parole in April 2015 for what the Parole Board called "abysmal" behaviour on probation. To Keats' disgust, Healy was re-released on April 18 this year. Her whereabouts have been kept secret. Source: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/79842352/face-of-innocents-m...