By Sharon Turco
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Mikinah Smith

For four days, doctors struggled to save a baby girl who suffered a severe brain injury while in the custody of her foster father.

But Tuesday, after a battery of tests showed Mikinah Smith could not breathe on her own, doctors at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center told her parents there was nothing they could do.

After a priest baptized the 1-year-old Over-the-Rhine girl, the machines keeping Mikinah alive were disconnected. She died at 3:16 p.m., her mother and father at her side, along with more than a dozen friends and family members.

"That was the hardest thing I ever had to go through," said her father, Michael Smith, tears welling up in his eyes. "I keep thinking, `How did this happen?'"

Her mother, Sikinah Thomas, fiercely wiped tears from her cheeks, saying, "I was praying for a miracle."

Mikinah's foster father, Norman White, 37, was arrested Saturday on a charge of child endangering, but may now face more severe charges.

As she left the hospital, Thomas clutched a copy of Mikinah's footprints and a handful of the balloons that filled her room.

Mikinah and her twin brother, Michael Smith, turned 1 Monday. Although Mikinah couldn't open her eyes, family members brought balloons and stuffed animals to the small intensive care unit room to celebrate the birthday.

"Even as we did that, I knew," Thomas said. "Doctors talked to us, but they were beating around the bush."

Thomas, 24, and Smith, 22, said doctors made the decision to end their daughter's life.

"I said no, but it's not up to us," Thomas said.

"It's not enough time," said Joyce Raines, the twins' great aunt. "She was cold Saturday, but now she's warm."

Cincinnati police detectives say White, who had custody of the twins as their foster father, repeatedly hit, shook and dropped Mikinah on the ground Saturday. When she began having trouble breathing, White drove her to the hospital. Officials there alerted authorities.

Homicide detectives say they are continuing their investigation.

Hamilton County prosecutors say depending on whether the crime was determined to be purposeful, upgraded charges could range from involuntary manslaughter to aggravated felony murder, which carries a sentence of up to life in prison.

White remains in the Hamilton County Justice Center on $50,000 bail on the child endangering charge.

Mikinah's foster mother, Robin White, who was out of town Saturday, said her husband would never intentionally hurt a child.

Doctors at the hospital say Mikinah's twin brother may have broken bones that healed on their own, prompting Family Services to investigate whether he has been abused. He is now in another foster home and his uncle Weldon Thomas is trying to get custody of him.

The children have been in and out of foster care since they were born after the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services found Sikinah Thomas could not properly care for the children. Thomas said she had problems in the past with drugs.

Thomas has four other children, now ages 2 to 8, who were taken from her by the agency and adopted by other families.

At first the twins stayed with Weldon Thomas, but after Thomas showed she had a stable home and was attending parenting classes last April, the children were placed back in her care. In August, when she failed to show up for a class, not realizing they were mandatory, the twins were again taken from her and placed with Michael Smith's sister until Christmas.

When a man who has a history of domestic violence was found to have contact with the household, the twins were placed with Evelyn Spears, who said she is a licensed foster parent with the agency. Although work prevented Spears from keeping the twins - they were moved to the White's home in February - she spent most of Tuesday at the hospital.

All the while they were in the care of others, Smith and Thomas visited the twins for two hours every Thursday.

A smile peeked through Thomas' grief when she talked about how much she liked to watch the twins play together.

"Mikinah's favorite toy wasn't a thing, it was her brother," Smith said.

"When one got down on the floor, the other got down."

And, "they always wanted to share a bottle, not use two bottles," he added.

They say they know baby Michael is going to miss his sister.

Thomas had been attending parenting classes and was hoping children's services would give her full custody of the twins during a March 26 hearing in family court.

Other parents from the parenting class, and even a class facilitator, stayed by Thomas' side Tuesday, offering as much comfort as they could.

The twins' family is angry at Family Services.

"They were supposed to try and help," Thomas said. "I may have had some problems, but I never abused my kids."

Smith hopes White will be charged as severely as possible.

"I want justice," he said.

E-mail sturco@enquirer.com