A Florida community is mourning the senseless death of a toddler at the hands of her 10-year-old cousin.
As investigators continue to search for answers, police have revealed that 2-year-old Journee Blyden suffered extensive and ultimately fatal injuries from what detectives determined was a brutal beating by her cousin. According to WFTV, Journee died as a result of severe head trauma from her cousin’s attack.
The 10-year-old boy in question initially claimed that he had dropped Journee while running and later pushed her off of the kitchen counter “by accident” when questioned by authorities about his involvement in her injuries, but his story was later found to be untrue.
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A second little girl told investigators that the boy had physically abused both she and Journee while the three were alone in the home where Journee’s body was found on June 21. Following a thorough investigation, police determined that the boy’s story did not add up with the severity of Journee’s fatal injuries or the additional witness statement. The 10 year old was later arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child shortly after police ruled Journee’s death a homicide.
According to earlier reports, Journee’s mother was out of town at the time of incident and had left her in the care of family. Journee’s father is currently in prison on charges of murder and aggravated child abuse in connection with the previous death of his girlfriend’s 1-year-old son in October of 2014.