A babysitter in Michigan is now in police custody after allegedly murdering a 23-month-old boy left in her care.
Kimora Launmei Hodges, 21, babysat the boy over the past two months. She was watching the toddler for his mother who went to work at their Roseville, Mich., apartment on June 13 when Hodges allegedly physically abused him.
Authorities say after the babysitter abused the boy, she called his mother, 18-year-old Taylor Starks, and said he did not appear normal after ingesting soap.
Hodges then claimed the boy was having an allergic reaction, police said.
A call was reportedly placed to 911, and Starks rushed home, PEOPLE reported.
“Once I made it there, my baby was on the ground having a seizure, after seizure, after seizure,” she told the station.
The boy was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery.
“He had blunt force trauma to the head, and he was bleeding out his ears and had to have immediate brain surgery,” Starks said. “All I know is she threw my son into the wall and shook him up pretty bad, and they said that’s just a bit of what she did to him.”
Baby Kyrie died from his injuries on Wednesday.
Hodges’ was originally charged with first-degree child abuse but the charge has now been upgraded to felony murder, an official at Macomb County’s 39th District Court confirmed.
Starks posted a tribute to her son on Instagram, writing in part, “I’m hurting so bad because you know you were my everything!! I had you at 16 by myself and we have been doing this together ever since. We were growing up together. No matter how bad we struggled or was going thru, you never judged me.”
“I promise to get justice for you Kyrie and I promise to make all of this mean something and worth the pain you endured.”
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