Tragedy struck two Louisiana families. Two adolescent boys allegedly assaulted two girls when the children were left unattended.
According to WBRZ, two cousins, 10 and 12 years of age, were arrested and charged with simple battery
and second-degree murder. The charges come after emergency responders found three-year-old Blessing Buckles in critical condition on Monday, Feb. 12. Police officers stated that a child called 911 to report that Buckles wasn’t breathing. The caller was unaware of the home’s address and told the 911 operator that no adults were in the house.Police canvased the area, knocking door to door to determine the children’s location. During
the search, Blessing’s mother, Dineshia Yates, and Terica Scott arrived at the residence. The women informed police officers that they were returning from the casino. When emergency responders arrived, they found Blessing unresponsive and not breathing. They resuscitated the three-year-old and took her to the hospital, where she died two days later on Wednesday, Feb. 14.Both women were arrested for principal to battery and principal to second-degree murder.
Doctors stated that Blessing had a brain bleed, bruises, and abrasions to the face and body consistent with blunt force trauma. The 10-year-old and 12-year-old allegedly beat another four-year-old girl present at the time. Her injuries were similar to Blessing’s.
According to police filings, Scott and Yates left eight children, ranging from 11 months old to 12 years old, in the home when they departed to the casino. Yates told officers that she and her children had been staying with Scott for two weeks before the incident.
Although Yates and Scott knew that some of the children were being abusive toward the others, they did nothing to stop it and left the children unsupervised. Both women have had previous arrests.
Bonds for the women were set at $20,000 each.
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