An 8-month-old girl in Georgia is accused of being killed by her parents after she allegedly became “wedged” between a couch cushion and mattress in a dirty house that was covered in insects and animal excrement, suffocating to death.
In connection with the death of their daughter Ellie, Miguel Badillo, 24, and Kiara Davis, 27, were arrested on Wednesday and charged with one count each of second-degree murder and second-degree child cruelty, according to authorities. One count of possessing items connected to drugs was also brought against them.
Officers rushed to a property in the 4300 block of Rosemont Drive on September 27, 2024, in response to a complaint of an 8-month-old child who had died, according to a news release from the Columbus, Georgia, Police Department.
It was discovered that “the infant had been placed on an angled mattress on a love seat, with no safety measures in place to prevent the infant from rolling off and becoming wedged between the mattress and couch cushions,” according to detectives from the department’s Special Victims Unit, who carried out a search warrant on the residence.
On November 8, 2024, authorities acquired warrants for the arrests of Badillo and Davis after looking into the circumstances surrounding Ellie’s death. On November 13, they were both placed under arrest.
Columbus ABC station WTVM reported on a court hearing on Friday where authorities gave more information regarding the child’s tragic circumstances.
According to the testimony of one of the responding officers, the home’s conditions were appalling.
“There were multiple animals inside the house that were unconfined. There was animal feces,” the officer stated to the judge during the proceedings. “There were insects in every room of the house. There was half-eaten food that was decaying in every room of the house.”
According to reports, Davis, who was at home at the time, had left the baby alone while she stepped outside to speak with a friend. According to reports, Badillo was accused because he was aware of the dangerous circumstances that investigators claim caused Ellie’s death, even though he was not there at the house when his daughter passed away.
“Both parents were well aware of the conditions in the household and they were both aware of the sleeping arrangement for the child,” the officer stated to the court.
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The victim “rolled off of a bedroom mattress and became wedged between the side of the mattress and the couch cushion,” according to an additional investigator who testified in court. According to the investigation, the infant suffocated to death.
The couple’s landlord, Howard Turner, told that he thinks Ellie’s death was a “freak accident” and that Davis and Badillo did not treat their kid cruelly.
The matter was bound over to Muscogee County Superior Court after Friday’s hearing. Unfortunately, Davis and Badillo are still being held without bond at the Muscogee County Jail.
