SLAYING CASE Foster mom faces fraud charges

The siblings of the slain child are in county custody.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- A Cortland woman accused of murder in the death of her foster daughter can add welfare fraud to her list of legal difficulties.
Ethel Wilbert-Bethea, 40, of North Bank Street, pleaded innocent Friday before Judge John Stuard in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court to grand theft, perjury, two counts each of tampering with records and forgery and two misdemeanor counts of theft. She is represented by Atty. Anthony Consoldane.
She is accused of receiving between $20,000 and $100,000 in state welfare benefits between July 2001 and Aug. 31, 2003, for which she wasn't eligible, and of tampering with Department of Human Services records.
The judge set her bond at $25,000. She was secretly indicted Thursday by a grand jury. Assistant county prosecutor Stanley A. Elkins, who is handling the case, couldn't be reached.
Wilbert-Bethea was charged with murder, felonious assault and three counts of child endangering earlier this month when Auntavia Atkins, 3, died of a head injury while in her custody.
She already is being held on $1 million bond.
What happened
Police were called to Wilbert-Bethea's home Aug. 29, where they found the toddler in serious condition. She was taken to a local hospital and later to a Cleveland hospital, where she died Sept. 2.
Investigators found burn marks on Auntavia's hand and arm and evidence the girl had been beaten.
A witness told police they saw Wilbert-Bethea kicking, punching, and hitting the 3-year-old with a spoon Aug. 27 at the woman's North Bank Street home.
The witness also reported seeing Wilbert-Bethea force the girl to hold her hand over a lighter earlier that same month and observed the woman shake Auntavia and other children in the house.
Auntavia and two of her siblings were staying at Wilbert-Bethea's home while their mother, Angel Diggs, worked on getting a full-time job and a place to live.
All the children at the home are now in the care of Trumbull County Children Services.