Reseda Couple Sues Baby-Sitter Charged With Murdering Their Son

A Reseda couple whose 9-month-old son died while in the care of a baby-sitter who is now charged with his murder filed a Superior Court lawsuit Wednesday seeking unspecified monetary damages.

The wrongful death lawsuit, filed in Van Nuys Superior Court by Kevin Young and Toni Majoy-Young, accuses Debra Suzanne Cummings of intentionally causing the death of their infant son, Kevin.

Cummings, 32, a Reseda mother and PTA president, has been charged with first-degree murder in Kevin’s death and is also under investigation in the death of another baby who died in March while in her care. She has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Also named in the lawsuit are Cummings’ husband, Michael, and Gladys L. Goodall, the owner of the home the Cummings rented, who are accused of negligence in Kevin’s death, said Dennis M. Walsh, the Youngs’ attorney. Debra Cummings is also accused of negligence in the lawsuit.

Cummings could not be reached for comment. Her attorney, Joe Ingber, did not return a reporter’s telephone call.

Young, whom Cummings had cared for almost daily for six months, died on June 16 of skull fractures suffered in Cummings’ home the previous day. Cummings told police that the baby fell against a coffee table, but a coroner’s report said the baby appeared to have been hit with a hand or fist.

Cummings, president of the PTA at Shirley Avenue Elementary School in Reseda, is under investigation in connection with the March 15 death of a 14-month-old baby. Matthew Cooley, of Reseda, lost consciousness while at a park with Cummings. His doctor listed the cause of death as an apparent seizure, but the boy’s mother told police that she became suspicious because the boy had experienced seizures only with Cummings.