Police Detective Knows He Must Step In For 7-Year-Old Who Endured The Unthinkable
July 30, 2021
Detective Mike Blair met 7-year-old Ronnie Oneal IV following a traumatic event no child should ever endure. But God had a powerful reason for bringing them together!
***WARNING: The content and video contained in this article may be considered too disturbing for some audiences***
It's a call Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Detective Mike Blair will never forget. Frantic mother Kenyatta Barron called 911 for help. And soon after, her life ended in a horrific fashion.
RELATED: Police Officer Responds To Call And Adopts The 8-Year-Old Boy He’s There To Save
Kenyatta's boyfriend, Ronnie Oneal III, was later convicted for murdering her and her daughter soon after the call. He also stabbed their son, Ronnie Oneal IV, and tried setting him on fire.
“By the time I arrived that night, we were told there was a child being medevacked to Tampa General, but he was not expected to live,” Mike recalled.
Thankfully, Ronnie Oneal IV did survive. And while Detective Mike Blair didn't have much involvement in the criminal case against his father, it turns out God brought him on the call that night for a much bigger reason!
God Creates A Special Connection
Ronnie Oneal IV had a lot to overcome following that horrible night. And Mike began visiting him at the hospital as he recovered. He'd bring along souvenirs from the local football team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And through such simple gestures, a special bond began to form between the two.
One night, Ronnie asked Mike if he would stay and watch a movie with him.
“He kind of held on to my hand as I left, and he said, ‘Could you watch a movie with me?'” Mike Blair explained.
The police detective could have declined -- he already had date night plans with his wife. But instead, he called his wife and she agreed to do a movie night with little Ronnie. And that's when God's will started becoming clear to Mike and his wife, Danyel Blair.
“I had already known that I would want to take Ronnie home with us, starting that night,” Danyel recalled.
A New Home For Ronnie Oneal IV
Danyel began praying for God to make a way to bring Ronnie Oneal IV into their family. She and Mike already had five children of their own and they, too, wanted to take in Ronnie.
“My kids had come to me at one point in this period of time and said to me, ‘Dad, you just need to go with mom on this; we need to start fostering,'” Mike recalled.
RELATED: Police Officer's Selfless Act For Homeless Woman's Heroin-Addicted Baby
Mike mentioned to Ronnie's court-appointed guardian to call him if Ronnie ever needed anything. And since Ronnie was already staying with other family members, that could have been the end of it.
But God had other plans for this precious boy!
One day, Detective Mike Blair received a phone call from the court-appointed guardian. And it was divine timing, for sure!
“When I got the phone call, I was driving, and I was driving by our church and the guardian was asking, ‘Do you know of somebody who can help us out?'” Mike explained.
By this point, Mike and his entire family knew Ronnie Oneal IV belonged with them. They opened their home and their hearts to the little boy who'd been so through so much. And they all supported him, teaching him a special family mantra he could repeat whenever he feels stressed:
“It goes; ‘I am safe, I am loved and I am part of this family,'” Ronnie said.
God's Love Brings Beauty From The Ashes
Ronnie Oneal IV spent time in the hospital for physical healing. But God sent him to this new home for a much deeper type of healing. But just because he has a new family who loves him deeply, he won't ever forget the loving mother and sister he so tragically lost.
RELATED: Drug Addict Finds God After A Murder and Her Own Grandkids Opened Her Eyes
Ronnie won't let the murders and trauma define his mother's and sister's lives. Kenyatta Barron was working on finishing her education at the time she was killed. But Ronnie remembers how she always took time out for her son.
“She was just a good mom," he said. "We did like a lot of things together."
His sister, Ron’Niveya, was severely handicapped and confined to a wheelchair. But her bright spirit and positive attitude shone through, frequently earning her recognition at school.
“There is this [honor] called ‘terrific kid’ and she got that a lot,” Ronnie recalled.
Unspeakable violence may have ripped this family apart, Ronnie will always carry his mother's and sister's memory in his heart. And there's no doubt they would be glad to know their beloved Ronnie Oneal IV is now being cared for by such a loving family. He's right where his Heavenly Father wants him.
“The easiest way to surmise the whole, this is — it’s been a God thing for us,” Mike Blair explained.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: 6-Year-Old Witnesses Double Shooting of Mom & Dad And Family Forgives the 2 Men Who Did It
There will always be tragedy while living in this broken world. But the story of Ronnie Oneal IV reminds us God can use all things and bring beauty from the ashes!
WATCH: Detective Adopts Ronnie Oneal IV After Unspeakable Tragedy
Parents Of 4 Step In For Boy After Hearing His Heartbreaking Shaken Baby Syndrome Story | Story Behind the Secret Inscription Only 3 People Know on Wedding Ring of Queen Elizabeth
h/t: WRIC
Featured Image Credit: Youtube/WFLA News Channel 8
Mel is the senior writer for GodUpdates, finding, writing and sharing Christian, uplifting, and health-related stories from around the world. Mel has a passion for writing and graduated with a degree in English from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. When she’s not researching and writing stories, Mel is very active in her church. You can usually find Mel playing board games with her husband and two young girls, giving someone a hug, or hunting down a good cup of coffee!
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Those Who Are Lonely or Isolated This Christmas - Your Daily Prayer - December 23
This Christmas, remember how precious you are to the Creator. Remember that there is nothing you can do or say that would ever separate His presence and love from you. It’s okay to go through Christmas feeling alone and isolated, but make sure you turn to God to fill those feelings of loneliness.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Those Who Are Lonely or Isolated This Christmas - Your Daily Prayer - December 23
This Christmas, remember how precious you are to the Creator. Remember that there is nothing you can do or say that would ever separate His presence and love from you. It’s okay to go through Christmas feeling alone and isolated, but make sure you turn to God to fill those feelings of loneliness.
Past Stories
- Husband Decorates His Neighbors' Homes For Wife Who Loves Christmas
- Couple Befriend Older Neighbor After Hearing Music Coming From His Apartment
- California Man Carpools With Adult Children On His Very Last Day of Work Before Retirement
- Family of Three Grows To Seven Overnight With Birth of Quadruplets
- The World's Oldest Dog Spike the Chihuahua Turns 25 Years Old
- Christmas Tree Planted Back in 1979 Inspires and Unites a Small English Village
- Dick Van Dyke Turns 99 After Evacuating From a Wildfire and Welcoming His Lost Cat Back Home
- Santa and Mrs.Claus Continue to Spread Christmas Magic Even With Santa's MS Diagnosis
- Little Girl Gets a Big Elf On the Shelf Surprise Honoring the Little Brother Who Passed Away
- Little Boy From England With Leukemia Delivers Over 400 Christmas Gifts To Kids At the Hospital
- Gold Star Family Receives a Big Surprise That Will Change Their Lives Forever
- 8-Year-Old With Down Syndrome Is a Hero After Saving Sister From House Fire
- Man Paralyzed At 17 While Snowboarding Has Found True Love and a Wonderful Life
- His Wife Passed Away, Now Their Special Tree is the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
- Granddaughter Captures Last Words Between Grandparents, Married For 69 Years
- New York State Police Rescue Woman Needing a Heart Transplant Stranded in Snowstorm
- Born the Same Year the Titanic Sank, World's Oldest Man Dies at 112
- Family Receives Support From School and Community After Losing House in a Fire
- Soldier Reunites With His Military Dog Yyacob After Years Apart
- Chicago Man Discovers That The Owner Of The Bakery He Loved To Visit Was Actually His Mother
- Husband Pays For 40 Pet Adoptions At Shelter For His Wife's 40th Birthday
- Parents Find Healing After Loss of Son By Donating His Beloved Key Collection To Little Boy
- Mom Dances With Son At His Wedding After Being Placed in Hospice Care 2 Weeks Before
- Grandmother and Young Granddaughter Battling Cancer At the Exact Same Time
- Community Brings Christmas Joy to Virginia Woman With Just Weeks to Live
- Four Friends Recreate A Fun Vacation Photo From 50 Years Ago
- School in Arkansas Mourns the Loss of Their Beloved Emotional Support Dog Abby
- 93-Year-Old Has Made Sure To Attend Every High School Football Game Since 1946
- Texas Mom Doesn't Remember Delivering Triplets After Rare Complication After Birth
- United Airlines Pilot Buys Pizza For 155 Passengers After They Make An Unexpected Stop
- Teenager With Down Syndrome Enjoys Playing Kickball After Parents Organize Neighborhood Game
- Woman in Shock After Finding Winning Lottery Ticket At the Bottom of Her Purse
- Australian Couple Walks Into Their Bedroom To Find the Cutest Koala
- 5 Boys and Their Father Were Saved By Good Samaritan After Explosion
- Daughter of WWII Soldier Finally Learns What Happened To Him, 80 Years Later
- Sisters Scream With Joy Watching Their 4-Year-Old Sister Take Her First Steps
- Her Mom Put a Message in a Bottle As a Child, 26 Years Later Her Classmate Found It
- This Missouri School Was Renamed After Their Much Loved and Dedicated Custodian
- Michael Strahan's Daughter is Now Cancer Free and Has Taught Him All About Perseverance
- These Two Newlyweds Found Love in Their Late 90s, After Meeting At Their Retirement Home
- Sisters Who Were Adopted By Separate Families Nearly 40 Years Ago Reunite After DNA Tests
- Oldest Living Person in the US Passes Away at 115, After a Long and Faithful Life
- At Just 20 and 22 Years Old, These Two Sisters From Minnesota Saved Their Family Farm
- After Over 450 Days in a Shelter, Boone and Rellie Find Their Forever Home, Together
- Sweet Kitten Named Coraline Loses Both Her Eyes, but Inspires Many with Her Spirit
- Donny Osmond Sees the 'End of the Tunnel' Coming After Performing for Over 6 Decades
- An Iguana Hitches a Ride on a Garbage Truck in Tennessee, Now Trying to Find Its Owner
- 6-Year-Old Starts 'Poop Scooping' Business to Help Animals and Adopt One of His Own
- Bride's Dad Drops During Father-Daughter Dance, but Things Lined up Perfectly to Save His Life
- Young North Carolina Father Risked His Life To Save a Couple and Dog From a Sinking Truck
Top Music Videos
The Statler Brothers 'Til the Storm Passes By' The Statler Brothers Live Performance
Jeremy Camp Jeremy Camp 'Ready Now' Powerful Official Music Video
Riley Clemmons Riley Clemmons - All Is Well
Mark Schultz 'Different Kind of Christmas' - Live From Mark Schultz
CCM Magazine Brynn Elliot's Chilling 'Silent Night' Rendition
Blogs
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.