Her Name Was Samora: Hot Car Death Baby’s Bio-Parents Speak Out

PHOENIX – In the wake of a 4-month-old’s tragic hot car death in Phoenix Tuesday while in custody of her foster father, the infant’s biological mother doesn’t want her child remembered as a nameless tragedy on the news. Jennifer Haley wants her baby’s name known. Her name was Samora.

On that fateful day, little Samora Lesley Cousin was left in the family van's backseat by foster father Roger Ham, a school administrator at the Washington Elementary School District. Ham had gotten to work Tuesday around 7 a.m. after dropping other children at daycare. Ham worked a few hours, then left to pick up Samora for an appointment.

After the appointment, Ham returned to work. But when he finished work around 3:30 p.m., he discovered the infant still in his vehicle.

Ham had forgotten about Samora in the backseat when he had returned to work earlier that day, he told police.

Phoenix police Detective Luis Samudio told The Arizona Republic that day that Ham is “a good man.” Ham and his same-sex partner Steve are experienced foster parents, having adopted 15 children. The Hams have received various media attention over the years for fostering and adopting children, and were even given an award from Child Protective Services in 2011. The couple also have custody of two of Samora’s siblings, according to Haley.

But Haley, diagnosed with mental illness and accused by DCS of taking drugs while pregnant with Samora, is angry and devastated by the loss of her baby daughter. “They take our kids because they say we’re unfit, and when they take our kids a lot of bad things happen,” she told The Arizona Republic.

“I feel like how could anybody leave a 4-month-old in a car and not even think twice about it. It’s horrible knowing that she could not even defend herself. She had to sit there and suffer,” Haley said.

As a result, Haley, who said she wasn’t notified of Samora’s death until 18 hours later, now wants DCS and lawmakers to limit how many kids foster parents can take in at a time. She prefers that number is up to three kids, to ease caseworkers’ loads when they check foster children’s welfare, she said.

Meanwhile, Roger Ham has not been arrested in Samora’s death, though police and DCS are still investigating. An autopsy has been ordered.

Haley and Samora’s biological father, Wesley Cousin, want to see Roger Ham arrested, though.

Cousin told ABC15, “If it was me and I did something like that, I would’ve been booked hours ago.” The couple also told ABC15 they will sue the DCS.

In the meantime, Samora’s father says he and Haley will now miss many milestone events they had once hoped for. “The first day of school, we don’t get that. First soccer game, we don’t get that. Not even having the chance to at least call me dad,” Cousin said.