A grandmother remembers her 6-year-old grandson: 'I know God got him.'

Yvette Adams remembers her grandson, Zane McAttee-Adams, as smart and observant.

She recalls being wowed by how he would tell her one plus one equals two, at age 4. She remembers when he alerted her to his younger sister Anyla Adams having a plastic bottle cap in her mouth, perhaps saving her from choking.

Adams will now remember her grandson every year on Aug. 16 for another reason.

That's the day she held a funeral for the 6-year-old boy who died in what authorities are calling a child abuse case, with police alleging the woman who dated his father and helped care for Zane is responsible for his death.

“Zane was out of this world,” Adams said in an interview with the Journal Sentinel the week after the funeral. "He just was so nice. He was so sweet. I took it really hard. It just really tore me up inside. He was like my little boy.”

Adams died on July 22. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner cited blunt force trauma as the cause of death and stated his injuries were “extremely rare in accidental trauma.” Anitra Burks, 33, of Milwaukee, was charged on July 26 with intentional homicide and neglecting a child in connection with the 6-year-old's death.

Zane's death occurred as his father, Devon Adams, was awaiting sentencing in an unrelated crime, stemming from a 2022 New Year's Day party. Adams pulled out a gun and "the gun went off," with the bullet striking a 9-year-old child in the leg, according to the complaint.

On Aug. 14, Adams was sentenced to four years in prison and four years of extended supervision, with credit given for 168 days.

With his dad awaiting trial, Zane was left to live with Burks. His mother, MaQuala McAttee, died in 2021. On Monday, the Milwaukee Police Department told the Journal Sentinel her death is still under investigation.

Burks' prior conviction for child abuse

According to online court records, Burks pleaded "no contest" to child abuse-recklessly causing bodily harm and was sentenced in 2013 to three years in prison and six years of extended supervision for burning a 10-month-old boy with hot water during a bath. A judge in 2015 reduced her supervision from six to five years.

She served two years and two months at Taycheedah Correctional Institution, followed by roughly five years on extended supervision that ended in August 2021.

On Tuesday, Burks remained in Milwaukee County Jail on $250,000 bail.

The state Department of Children and Families was notified of the child's death and is performing what's known as a summary review, which is standard practice in such cases. The results are released within 90 days after the department learned of the incident.

Yvette Adams said she did not get along well with Burks, but she attempted to be cordial. She at times gave her clothes.

Over the years, Yvette said Burks isolated her from the family and she saw her grandchildren infrequently.

Burks is due again in court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing.

A father's remorse

After a jury trial, Devon Adams was found guilty of injury by negligent use of a weapon and for possession a firearm as a felon.

At her son's sentencing, Yvette described her and Zane’s relationship as "special." She recalled how he latched onto her at a young age and fell asleep on her chest when he was two days old. That relationship was apparent when she was twice in the hospital for congestive heart failure.

“Zane was one of my main reasons for living, twice,” she said.

Yvette also disputed the charges against her son while speaking to the court.

For his part, Devon Adams addressed his son's death and Burks' alleged role in it as his sentencing. Devon Adams lamented the shooting incident and said it was “hard to believe” a woman like Burks would do what she is being accused of. He did not indicate in his statement whether he knew of Burks' previous conviction relating to child abuse and neglect.

He seemed to put the blame on himself.

“If I had never brought a gun there … I wouldn’t be here today,” he said of the party in 2022. “My son probably would be alive still. I would have my whole entire family still. It is messing me up on the inside about everything that’s going on right now."

Zane's funeral at Reid's New Golden Gate Funeral Home was held two days after his father's sentencing. He attended Zane’s funeral through a video call.

While Zane's father blamed himself for his son's death, Zane's grandma blames Burks. Reflecting on the last month without her grandson, she pointed to her faith.

“It hurt me real bad. He’s gone, but I know God got him," Yvette said. "He is in a better place."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: A Milwaukee grandma remembers her grandson, who died of alleged abuse