FORT WORTH -- A 3-year-old girl who died last month and whose mother was charged with abusing her was strangled, the Tarrant County medical examiner's office has ruled.
Paris Howard died Sept. 6, one week before her fourth birthday, from asphyxia by manual strangulation, the medical examiner has found. Her death has been ruled a homicide.The mother, Janice R. Anthony, 19, was charged Sept. 17 with injury to a child. She remained in the Tarrant County Jail on Wednesday with bail set at $100,000."The case will be presented at a future date to a grand jury, which will determine whether the charge will be upgraded," said Melody McDonald, a spokeswoman with the Tarrant County district attorney's office.Richard A. Henderson, Anthony's court-appointed attorney, was out of the office and did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.Police were called to the family's apartment in the 5400 block of Enclave Circle in southwest Fort Worth the morning of Sept. 6. They found Paris Howard dead on the floor.The girl had bruising on several areas of her body, and an investigation revealed that Anthony had hit the child many times in the previous week over potty-training issues, police have said.Child Protective Services placed Anthony's infant son, born just days after the girl's death, in foster care, a spokeswoman said.Deanna Boyd, 817-390-7655Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
