James Sargent's adopted mother says the last time she saw her grandson,Benjamin, he was laying in his crib with a blanket and looked healthy.

Rosemary Sargent says she dropped the child off on February 4th. And although rescue crews found the baby in his car seat wearing the snowsuit she had just bought him, when she left the child, he was asleep in the crib wearing clothes and under a blanket.

Sargent says fighting between her son and Benjamin's mother had gotten bad lately, but it seemed like they were still taking care of their baby boy.

"I'm just taking it one day at a time...sometimes one minute at a time."

You can read the grief in her eyes...a grandmother who's lost her only grandchild.
Rosemary Sargent talked to News 25's Kelli Watson Friday after she picked up flower arrangements left over from 5–month–old Benjamin Sargent's funeral. She says she bought Benjamin the final outfit prosecutors say he was left to die in.

"I took him and I bought him a snowsuit and I bought him some food and some formula and some A&D ointment because he had a little rash."

Rosemary says her son and Benjamin's mother, Tracy Hermann, seemed like good parents.

"I saw my son sing to him, play with him. I've seen her holding him and playing with him."

Tracy Hermann's MySpace page has pictures of her children, family photos, and a small caption that says "proud parent"...so does James Sargent's.
They're the same proud parents Peoria prosecutors say neglected their 5–month–old son Benjamin as he starved to death alone in his crib last week, sitting in his own feces.
Rosemary says Benjamin was safe and sound when she dropped him off the week before.

"I don't know what happened when I left. He was in his bed, not his car seat."

Rosemary says her adopted son also had a dark side.

"He suffered from depression since he was a freshman in high school. They diagnosed him with ADHD and bi–polar and he has spent time at Zellar (Mental Health Center) when they had it."

Benjamin's mother has an old internet posting about the way she'd prefer to die saying she wants her death certificate to read "death by misadventure."
But Rosemary says, unfortunately, that was her baby grandson's untimely fate.

"I'm going to miss the smiles and laughs".

Rosemary Sargent says she is still in complete shock.
She says she doesn't believe the couple was on drugs during the eight days Benjamin reportedly starved to death.
One of Tracy Hermann's co–workers from TGI Friday's in Peoria says she remembers her as a nice quiet girl who used to bring Benjamin to the restaurant all the time.