Woman charged in child abuse death

The High Point Enterprise, N.C.

Feb. 16—HIGH POINT — A woman from High Point has been charged with murder in what is being called the child abuse death of a 1-year-old boy last month, police announced Monday.

Taporcsha S. Franklin, 33, was charged initially with felony child abuse. After consultation with the Guilford County District Attorney's Office, Franklin also was charged with first-degree murder.

On Jan. 26, High Point Police Department officers went to an apartment in the 220 block of Brentwood Street in reference to a call for medical assistance. Officers found a baby boy showing minimal signs of life.

The boy, whose name wasn't released, was taken to the emergency department of a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy conducted the next day by a medical examiner showed the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the child's body. The medical examiner also found previous injuries, which indicated a history of physical abuse, according to police.

Police did not release any information about the nature of the relationship between Franklin and the boy.

Franklin was being held with no bond allowed in the Guilford County Jail in High Point as of Monday afternoon, according to police. She was arrested without incident.

The baby's death is the first homicide this year in High Point.

Detectives are working to determine if any additional charges are necessary, police said.

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