Michelle Gregg is the mother of thenThe 3-year-old boy fell into a gorilla enclosure at the Gorilla World’s Fair at the Cincinnati Zoo in 2016, resulting in the death of a silverback gorilla named Harambe.
The endangered primate was shot dead by zoo staff who feared the child’s life was in danger after the gorilla dragged the cub through a moat in the enclosure.
Woman. Gregg came under fire after the incident, and the father of her children may have been neglected, as hundreds of thousands of people had launched an online petition calling for the couple to be held accountable for not caring for their child.
However, the district attorney in Hamilton has announced that no criminal charges will be filed against the couple following a police investigation.
Read about Michelle Gregg, the father of her children, her bio and other facts you need to know about her.
biography
Michelle Gregg, who lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, was born on August 9, 1983. Her parents are Jeffrey Lee and Renee Joyce Coleman Gregg from Alabama. It’s not clear if Gregg is legally married to her children’s father, Deonne Bartholomey Dickerson, with whom she has four children, including Isiah Gregg, the child who fell in the gorilla enclosure.
However, Dickerson, who was born on January 7, 1980, lives with his family and lives as an industrial worker. Gregg, on the other hand, is a preschool administrator at Little Blossoms Academy in Cincinnati and a member of the Cincinnati Union Bethel. She is also a licensed public child care worker and runs a public funded child care center.
Since the incident, Gregg and her family have been trying to live normal lives. They have declined to give interviews to avoid getting as much attention, but unfortunately their names will forever be linked to Harambee’s murder. Here are six more facts you need to know about them.
6 facts you need to know about Michelle Gregg
1. Gregg is a mother of four and runs a day care center
Michelle Gregg has four children in total, with her last child being a little girl. Isabelle Grace Dickerson, born July 13, 2015.
With Gregg as a daycare administrator, she has come under a lot of fire from the public for not paying much attention to her child. The Facebook profile of the preschool where she works is inundated with angry messages from people calling for her to be fired and calling her incompetent. However, the school and some parents have defended themselves, and one parent has told reporters that Gregg takes good care of her children and that it was the best daycare she had ever attended.
2. Animal lovers and activists called for Greggs’ persecution and expressed frustration at the gorilla’s killing
Animal activists, as well as many other outraged animal lovers, took to social media to express their outrage at Harambee’s killing and said the child’s parents should be held accountable. A witness to the incident told reporters that the boy repeatedly told his mother that he wanted to get into the water in the enclosure, which the mother repeatedly refused but ignored and held him back.
About killing the gorilla, zoo officials saidthe only option was a hit, since the cub’s life was in danger. They reiterated that a sedative was not an option as it would have taken too long to have any effect on the large primate. It could have upset him even further, they explained.
3. She will not be brought to justice
As mentioned above, Michelle Gregg will not be prosecuted by law enforcement agencies. The Cincinnati Police Department initially issued a statement saying the Personal Crimes Unit was investigating the circumstances leading up to the incident. The District Attorney also said that after the investigation is complete, a decision will be made on whether to press charges.
After a week-long investigation, it was announced that Gregg did not put her child in danger and that no charges will be filed against her.
4. Gregg can be heard shouting “Mom’s here” in one of the videos
In one of the videos posted to social media, Michelle Gregg was picked up by a viewer and is heard calling for help as she calmly converses with her crying son, saying, “Isaiah shut up, shut up, shut up.”
She can also hear “Mom is here” and “Mom loves you” being said before loudly saying “Oh God, please protect him”.
5. She defended herself on Facebook, saying, “Accidents happen”
Michelle Gregg, who has since deleted her Facebook profile after receiving a reaction, took to the social media platform to thank God and the public for her thoughts and prayers.
She then proceeded to add that; “As a society we’re quick to judge how a parent can keep their eyes off their child, and if anyone knows me, I keep a close eye on my children. Accidents happen, but I’m grateful that the right people were in the right place today. “
Gregg then confirmed her son was safe and able to handle the incident with no broken bones or internal injuries, just a concussion and a few scratches.
6. Gregg’s family refused gifts and donations
Following the outrage over the killing of Harambee, and the call for Gregg and her husband to be prosecuted, a number of well-wishers chose to give gifts and make monetary donations to the family. However, through a statement, the family declined to accept gifts because the Cincinnati Zoo deserves more.