A 37-year-old North Carolina woman has been charged with murder in the death of her 21-month-old great-niece, a case in which the medical examiner ruled the toddler’s death a homicide caused by blunt force trauma.
Authorities announced that Stephanie Kay Johnson was taken into custody last week. She faces one count of murder and one count of intentionally inflicting child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury.
The Yadkin County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release that the investigation started April 30. Deputies and emergency medical personnel were sent to a home in the 5900 block of Bob’s Lake Road in Hamptonville after a medical emergency involving the toddler was reported.
Responders performed CPR at the scene and then transported the child to a local hospital, the Yadkin Ripple reported.
While the girl was receiving treatment, detectives from the sheriff’s office found evidence of earlier non-accidental trauma. The child later died of her injuries.
An autopsy was carried out, after which the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner concluded that the manner of death was homicide and the cause was blunt force trauma.
An arrest warrant issued Oct. 8 offers more detail on the allegations. On the murder count, prosecutors claim Johnson killed the child with “malice aforethought,” a legal term meaning intent to kill or an act carried out with extreme disregard for human life. The second count alleges that Johnson intentionally inflicted the serious bodily injury that led to the toddler’s death.
“At the time the defendant inflicted the injury the defendant was providing care for the child as great aunt,” the warrant states.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) helped the Yadkin County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigative Division with the investigation. WXII reported that the county Department of Social Services also opened an investigation into Johnson after the child’s death.
In an earlier report, WXII interviewed the girl’s grandfather, who remembered her as a happy child full of love. He said the family intended to hold a memorial service. The station aired those remarks before Johnson was arrested.
Johnson was taken into custody without incident. She is being held at the Yadkin County Jail without bond.