A Euclid woman and her boyfriend pleaded not guilty April 12 to charges related to the death of the woman’s 4-year-old daughter.
Euclid police and fire personnel responded to the Cultural Garden Apartments on Lake Shore Boulevard about 11:30 a.m. March 11 after someone reported a medical emergency involving an unresponsive child.
Aniya Day-Garrett had burn marks and was emaciated and bruised. She was pronounced dead at Cleveland Clinic Euclid Hospital.
The victim was malnourished and died from blunt impacts to the head, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Her mother, 23-year-old Sierra Day, and Deonte Lewis, Day’s 26-year-old boyfriend, are charged with one count each of aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, permitting child abuse and tampering with evidence. They are also charged with three counts of child endangering.
The duo’s first pretrial is scheduled for April 17 before Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Timothy McCormick.
They remain in jail on $1 million bonds.
The girl’s father told police he suspected she was being abused and tried to get custody before her death, according to the Associated Press. He has called for an investigation into the county’s child welfare agency, whose investigators said they never found enough evidence to remove Aniya from her home.
Messages were left for Day’s attorney, Mark Marein, and Nicole Longino, who represents Lewis.
Previously
>> Ohio cites Euclid day care for not reporting dead child’s injuries
>> Dad of 4-year-old from Euclid who died wants Cuyahoga children services agency investigated