Kendrick Lee: Biological father of 8-year-old learned about son's death on the news
The biological father of 8-year-old Kendrick Lee, who was found deceased in a Houston apartment, has said that he found out about his son through the news, and was choosing to speak out to dispel any rumors about himself or any fake donations sites that might have popped up in his name.
Kendrick was found dead in a bedroom apartment earlier this week at the CityParc II at West Oaks Apartments after his 15-year-old brother Jordan called 911 on Sunday and said his mother had left him alone in the apartment for months with the deceased and two other siblings. Speaking with Daily Mail, Courtney Lee told the outlet that he also shared Jordan, 15, and Trevon, 10, with their mother Gloria Y Williams, 35 -- who has been accused of starving and neglecting her children, but hasn’t seen them since 2017, after their mother allegedly cut him out of their lives.
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Gloria Williams cut the children out of Courtney Lee's life in 2017
“Kendrick is my baby, he’s my youngest son,” Courtney said. He added that he separated from Williams in 2012, but by 2017, she wanted to give the relationship another try. Lee said he refused since he was engaged and instead requested his three boys be a part of his wedding. Williams reportedly refused his request and after that did not let him see his children anymore.
"You could tell she wasn't happy about it," Courtney said. It would be the last time he would see his three boys. "She blocked me on social media, blocked my number, she just disappeared. Then she moved and I couldn't locate her. She made sure my sons weren't included in our wedding as we had planned," he said. "I thought she had moved out of the Houston area. I had no idea where she was living at with our kids."
But before that fallout, Lee was seeing his boys every other weekend, he said. "I had them all of the time. I loved spending time with them." The next Courtney heard from Williams again was in December 2020, when she reached out to his wife, Dione, to let her know her then-husband, Darryl Towner, had passed away.
Dione Lee told Daily Mail: "When Gloria messaged me on Facebook, I sent her my condolences and asked her if she needed any help with the children. I sent her my cell number. I figured she might need some help with the kids after losing her husband."
Williams didn't reply and blocked Dione on social media.
Courtney does not plan on getting back into his kids' lives
Kendrick's skeletal remains were discovered underneath a blanket in a bedroom in the apartment where authorities found the 15-year-old and his two other siblings living alone. The boys were thin, malnourished, and hungry, living alone for months with no blankets to keep them warm. The house was an unfurnished unit with soiled carpet, flies and roaches. Williams was charged on Tuesday with felony injury to a child by omission and tampering with evidence. Her boyfriend, Brian W Coulter, 31, was charged with murder after it was revealed that he was the one who alleged beat Kendrick to death. Both remained jailed.
Although he has spoken to law enforcement and children protective services, Courtney said that he hasn't seen or spoken to his kids and doesn't plan on it anytime soon. "They are in therapy right now and going through a lot of stuff right now to get back on track, it's still an open case. I know it's going to take time. I'm their father, I'm on their birth certificate. I'll always be their father. I will be in their life. But it's going to take some time."
Courtney also does not want anything to do with Williams. "I don't want to talk to her, see her or hear her name. I never thought in my life there was a woman like her," he said. "If she wasn't part of it, she should have called the police. She is going to have to deal with this the rest of her life."