Babysitter charged with murder in New Orleans infant’s death

Published 3:47 pm Wednesday, March 9, 2022

A babysitter has been charged with murder in the death of a 6-month-old boy she was watching in New Orleans, police said.

Keriaon Smith, 19, was previously arrested on a cruelty charge but was re-booked for second-degree murder Tuesday after autopsy results ruled the child’s death to be a homicide, according to a news release from the New Orleans Police Department.

The infant was found unresponsive March 5 while being cared for by a family friend, who was later identified as Smith.

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Emergency medical services personnel found that the child had numerous injuries and wasn’t breathing, police said. He was taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Smith had an attorney who could comment on her behalf.