Police: Mississippi baby died after being ‘brutally beaten and abused.’ Mother and aunt arrested in case.
Published 1:18 pm Thursday, January 25, 2024
Police say a baby that died after being taken to the hospital was “brutally beaten and abused.”
The mother of the child, Lagayla Haynes, 28, and the child’s aunt, Samara Smith, 23, have been charged with felony child neglect.
Officials with the Jackson Police Department report that officers were called in reference to a deceased infant on Forest Avenue.
After questioning Haynes, Jackson Police have classified the baby’s death as a homicide.
Haynes reportedly took her infant daughter to the University of Mississippi Medical Center after she found the child unresponsive. The child was later pronounced dead.
Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said the child had been victimized and was “brutally beaten.” Wade said the child showed signs of trauma around the neck and had possibly been dead for 10 hours.