A
babysitter has been indicted on a murder charge in the death of a
one-year-old boy found wrapped in a garbage bag in the closet of a
southwest Ohio apartment.
Marquita Burch was babysitting William Cunningham of Cincinnati when
he died from a brain injury the next day, according to County Prosecutor
Joseph Deters. Deters said the 26-year-old did not seek medical
treatment for the toddler when she injured him, dumped his body in a
garbage bag, hid the boy in her cousin’s home and reported him missing.
‘This child did not have to die,’ Deters said in a news release,
according to KyPost.com. ‘It is bad enough that Burch injured the child,
but horrible to think of the child’s suffering. It’s clear the child
might have survived if the defendant had sought prompt medical
treatment.’
Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco ruled the case a homicide and said
Cunningham sustained trauma to his head and had blood inside his skull,
according to the newspaper.
A Hamilton County grand jury in Cincinnati on Monday indicted Burch,
of Covington, Kentucky, on single counts of murder and involuntary
manslaughter and two counts of endangering children. Burch also is
charged with tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse.
The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. Burch’s
attorney did not immediately return calls for comment. Burch initially
reported the toddler missing, but was taken in for questioning after
police found discrepancies in her story.
Cunningham was reported missing on May 25. Detectives interviewed the
boy’s mother, Kiara Carter, and Burch, who told Local 12 News she was
babysitting him and left him to play outside in the City Heights
neighborhood while she went into her apartment to retrieve some
clothing.
What do you think?
SCOOP: WKRC
Comments
Post a Comment
Thanks for commenting. You email address and IP Address has been recorded for future reference. any anonymous comment which is deemed abusive will be removed and investigated for further action.