Family concerned for 4-year-old girl's safety before mom, boyfriend accused of killing her
Aniya Day-Garrett, shown here with her father Mickhal Garrett, died Sunday after the 4-year-old girl suffered a stroke caused by blunt force impacts to the head, medical examiners said.
EUCLID, Ohio - Family members expressed concern for a 4-year-old girl's safety in the months before her mother and the mother's boyfriend are accused of killing her, they said after an emotional court hearing.
Aniya Day-Garrett's father and other relatives felt she was malnourished and being physically abused in recent months, they said Tuesday outside Euclid Municipal Court. They called Cuyahoga Cuyahoga Children and Family Services to report bruises on the girl's body, such as rug burns and black eyes, they said.
"This beautiful 4-year-old daughter's life was cut down, senselessly," her grandmother, Rachael Garrett, said Tuesday. "Beaten, abused, battered, starved ... you have to be heartless."
The agency received three calls about Aniya in 2017 and looked into the concerns, Cuyahoga County spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan said Tuesday. There was not enough evidence to warrant removing Aniya from the home, she said.
Children and Family Services is conducting an internal investigation, which is standard procedure in cases involving child deaths, Madigan said.
Aniya suffered a stroke Sunday, caused by blunt impacts to the head with a subdural hematoma, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office. She died after paramedics took her to Euclid Hospital.
The medical examiner's office also found evidence Aniya was malnourished, a spokesman said.
Aniya's mother, Sierra Day, and her boyfriend Deonte Lewis are charged with aggravated murder in connection with the girl's death. A Euclid Municipal Court judge set their bonds at $1 million during their arraignments Tuesday afternoon.
The girl's father, Mickhal Garrett, sought custody of the girl he called "sugar," relatives said.
"[He'd do] anything to make her smile. He always made her smile," Mickhal Garrett's sister, Brittany Hill, said. "Anytime you would see him near her, she was smiling. She loved her daddy."
Sierra Day and Deonte Lewis
Mickhal Garrett was emotional when Day and Lewis appeared in court. He shouted "you killed my [expletive] daughter" at Lewis as family members and attorneys left the courtroom.
Day, 23, and Lewis, 26, waived their rights to preliminary hearings during the arraignments. The cases were bound over to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
Investigators have not released any information on the events that led to Aniya's death.
Euclid Fire Department paramedics found Aniya unresponsive just before 11:30 a.m. Sunday when they responded to a medical emergency at the Cultural Garden Apartments on Lakeshore Boulevard, police said.
A Euclid detective and prosecutor did not offer any additional information during the arraignments.
Family members set up a GoFundMe to pay for Aniya's funeral arrangements. The page is seeking $10,000 to pay for the services.
To comment on this story, visit Monday's crime and courts comments page.
No comments:
Post a Comment