WASHINGTON, D.C. – A 28-year-old woman has been charged with murder for allegedly beating her 16-month-old baby to death, reports CBS affiliate WUSA.
Faneshia Scott, 28, pleaded not guilty in court and was ordered to undergo a mental evaluation. Prosecutors allege that she tortured her daughter, Rhythm Fields, for 3 months leading to her death March 21, 2017.
WUSA reports that emergency crews were called to the mother’s apartment on C Street SE for an unresponsive child last year. She was lying on the living room floor while neighbors were performing CPR. According to charging documents, the girl’s body was cold and she had been deceased for “nearly 3 hours.”
WUSA reports that the medical examiner ruled her death a homicide nearly 10 months later after discovering 23 old and new rib fractures and cuts all over the girl’s body, as well as bleeding in the brain.
Scott allegedly admitted to police she gave her daughter adult cold syrup. Police reportedly found a sippy cup or bottle inside the home that contained the syrup found in the child’s system.
According to WUSA, an abuse hotline received two calls about the family before Rhythm’s death, the last call in the same month she died. But, according to Mindy Goode with D.C. Child and Family Services, a counselor never visited the home because “the reports did not rise to the level of an investigation.”
Candice Glass told the station that said she feared for her god-daughter’s safety and called Child Protective Services anonymously. She said just days before her death, the baby had a “split lip.”
“I wish I was there and could have done something, but I also needed proof,” Glass said.
WUSA reports that Scott is also charged with beating her then 2- and 4-year-old children — a boy and girl — with a belt. They are now living with their father.
