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Family Devastated By Beating Death Of 11-Year-Old Boy

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The family of an 11-year-old boy who was beaten to death over an eight-hour period is devastated.

They are wondering what could have been done to save Donovan McKee.

Anthony Bush, 29, is charged with criminal homicide. He is the boyfriend of the victim's mother.

Crystal McKee, Donovan's aunt, will never forget the sight of the child in the hospital emergency room.

"And when I walked in the room and his eyes were just still just a little open and they were just leaning to the left," she told KDKA-TV's Bob Allen.

She says it was the first time she had seen her nephew in a year. She says Anthony Bush was controlling and abusive. She said he broke her sister's jaw a few years ago and always kept the family away – never allowing anyone in their lives.

"We didn't have that chance to be around," McKee said. "We weren't given that option."

"And they weren't even given an option to even call anybody to say help," Veronica Kirkland, the victim's cousin, added.

Doctors discovered Donovan had been beaten before. McKee's 5-year-old brother, Vincere Bush, who is Bush's son, wasn't harmed; however, he did witness the beating.

Dr. Janet Squires with Children's Hospital says the community must pay closer attention to the children.

"So the first message I think [is] we all need to look out for the children in our community," she said. "We need to think about our neighborhood children, children in our churches, children who are not in school and are not being watched and need to look out for when we think perhaps some child is in trouble."

Dr. Squires hopes people will think twice before disciplining children, especially when they are angry and frustrated.

She says younger children are at greater risk of being abused when they are in the care of a boyfriend or someone who is not their father.

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