Grandma beat 3-year-old, then left her to die in bed, Pennsylvania officials say
A Pennsylvania woman beat her 3-year-old granddaughter, then left her to die in her bed, officials told news outlets.
Denise Johnson, 56, was arrested and charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors and abuse of a corpse, court records show.
An attorney for Johnson was not listed in court records.
According to Pittsburgh police, officers were called to a home around 11:30 a.m. Sept. 1 about a “suspicious death” at the home.
When officers arrived, they said they found 3-year-old Ayla Miller “cold to the touch,” KDKA reported.
According to a criminal complaint, Ayla had been in Johnson’s custody for a month and a half, WPXI reported.
When Ayla was found, she had injuries on her neck and hip, bruises on her face and body, and a wound that appeared to be from a cigarette burn on her ankle, the news outlet reported, citing the complaint.
When questioned by investigators, Johnson admitted to hitting Ayla and said that “caused her to fall and hit her head,” according to the criminal complaint obtained by WTAE. Johnson said Ayla didn’t wake up and she was too scared to tell anyone for two days, the outlet reported, citing the complaint.
During a phone conversation after Ayla was found, Johnson told someone she punched Ayla in the face, causing her to fall and that she was sorry, WPXI reported, citing the complaint. She said she put Ayla in bed “for the next few days until she died,” according to the complaint.
Another child at the home, however, told police they saw Johnson beating Ayla with a wooden stick until she couldn’t move, according to the complaint obtained by WTAE. Then she told them to get her belt and continued to beat Ayla with it, the complaint said, according to the outlet.
“That’s horrible. I think that’s absolutely horrible,” neighbor Lisa Propst told KDKA. “I work with children on a daily basis. I absolutely love children and have a heart for children, so anytime I hear that something extremely bad like this happens to children, it breaks my heart.”
Johnson is being held without bond, according to court records.
This story was originally published September 3, 2024 at 11:28 AM with the headline "Grandma beat 3-year-old, then left her to die in bed, Pennsylvania officials say."
