Dead toddler found in closet

Garner detectives investigating

Detectives in Garner are investigating the death of a toddler found in a box in a closet, according to two search warrants made public this week.

The documents do not say how long Devarion Gross had been dead when his body was discovered or what led to his death.

Devarion, born in March 2007, was found in his mother's apartment by concerned family members.

According to the warrants, Garner police were contacted by Child Protective Services on Nov. 3 because a caller had "expressed concern that Devarion Gross had not been seen by anyone since Labor Day, 2008."

A detective tried to set up a meeting with the child's mother but was told by a relative that the woman, Sherita McNeil, had been acting strangely about the child and didn't want certain people to see her son.

On Friday, the documents say, family members went to McNeil's home at 1852 Spring Drive because they hadn't been able to contact her.

The family members, who are not named in the warrants, let themselves into the house with a key and found Devarion in a gray plastic bin in an upstairs bedroom closet.

A family member also reported to investigators that while visiting with McNeil last Wednesday, McNeil came downstairs with her other child, a 2-year-old daughter, and said she had to leave. McNeil didn't have Devarion with her, the family member said.

McNeil had "stopped eating" and had acted withdrawn, a relative told police.

According to the warrants, Garner Police have met with McNeil since the discovery of her son's body.

She has not been charged with any crime, said Sgt. Joe Binns, public information officer for the police department. "We're still waiting on the medical examiner's report to come back," Binns said. "No one has been labeled a suspect at this point."

McNeil's other child is staying with family members, he said.

Police have seized sheets, children's clothing, a diaper, hair, numerous bottles of kitchen and bath cleaners and other items from McNeil's home, which is down the street from Garner High School.

The warrants say the fathers of both of McNeil's children are currently incarcerated.