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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Two people have been charged with first-degree murder after a child was taken to hospital with multiple fatal injuries after being in their care, Memphis Police say.
On Saturday at approximately 3 a.m., officers received a phone call regarding a one-year-old female suffering from cardiac arrest at LeBonheur Children’s Hospital. The incident occurred around 2:39 a.m. on Saturday.
A doctor pronounced the child deceased at 4:01 a.m. on Saturday.
Upon inspection of her body, it was determined she had a skull and neck fracture, massive bruising on her back and rectal bleeding.
Kiya Moore, 21, and Dejon Smith, 34, had been babysitting the child since Thursday around 5 p.m.
They were detained and taken to 170 N. Main St. for further investigation.
When investigators arrived at the home in the 1000 block of University St., it was noted that there was no baby food in the home. It was unclear if the baby had an appropriate or safe place to sleep.
According to the police report, both Moore and Smith waived their rights and gave conflicting statements.
Moore said that she left the residence and left Smith with the child. She said that when she returned, she found the child unresponsive.
She said that Smith refused to tell her what happened and told her to say that she fell asleep in bed holding the child and she fell off the bed and hit her head on the nightstand.
Moore said that she called a family member and asked them to take the baby to LeBonheur Hospital.
It’s a story that people who live near the couple told NewsNation affiliate WREG they find shocking because they said Smith has children of his own.
“He got a son that just started kindergarten,” an anonymous neighbor said.
Smith said that Moore was yelling in the backroom with the child and he heard her (the child) crying. He then said he allegedly heard Moore slam the child into the floor, walls and wooden furniture six to 10 times.
He told officers that he asked her what she was doing and she said nothing, but the baby was crying too much and getting on her nerves.
He said when he entered the room, Moore stopped and he saw that the child was unresponsive. After he claimed to have attempted CPR and put cold water on the child, Moore called a family member and requested that they take the child to LeBonheur.
He said that Moore told him that the child fell off the bed and hit her head on the nightstand.
A neighbor who lives next to the couple said she never heard anything.
“I ain’t hear no baby crying,” she said. “You really can’t hear too much through the walls. Not too much. You got to be extra loud to really hear something.”
An examination by a doctor at LeBonheur revealed fatal injuries including multiple skull fractures with a brain bleed, bruised kidney, high enzymes in the liver consistent with abdominal trauma and blood in the lungs.
Smith and Moore have both been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated child neglect.
At this time, MPD has not said what the child’s connection was to the pair.