A Charlotte, N.C mother is facing child abuse and first-degree murder in the death of her 4-year-old daughter.
A social worker grew suspicious about the whereabouts of Majelic Young after she had not been seen in months. When the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers went to check in on the girl, her remains were discovered buried in the family’s backyard.
The girl passed away in August 2020, but her remains were not discovered until May 2021, according to WSOCTV.
Majelic’s sister, 13, told officers that her younger sister had soiled herself and their mother, Malikah Bennett, forced her to stand in the laundry room for three days of the home on Braden Drive. Allegedly, the toddler was not allowed to sit or lay down, and she eventually collapsed, fell out of the back door, and hit her head on the ground.
The sister said her breathing was on and off.
The mother attempted CPR, but it was unsuccessful. She tried to cover up her daughter’s death by washing her body and placing it into two trash bags. The body remained in an SUV for days before it was buried in the backyard.
Officers discovered a shovel with human remains.
“To actually see the search warrant, it hurt me,” said a family friend Lucille Puckett.
The family friend said she was close to the girl and was called “Jelli” for short.
“I don’t just see this only happening to Jelli. We don’t know how many children are lost in the system or could’ve been facing the same situation,” said Puckett.
There had been rumors swirling about the girl’s whereabouts, but the mother claimed her daughter was with her father and would tell the father’s family another story.
Initially, the girl was being raised by her father but wanted to see her mother for her birthday.
“It’s even more difficult that this baby died at the hands of her mother the person that gave her birth our role as a mother is to protect our children,” added Puckett back in May, per CBS17.
Bennett’s mother, Tammy Taylor Moffett, is facing concealing a death and accessory after the fact to murder charges. Her involvement in the crime is unclear.
“I’ve worked homicide most of the last 10 years and I can tell you this case is deeply disturbing,” said Bryan Crum of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Lieutenant to reporters during a press conference, per PEOPLE. “It’s disturbing to everyone who’s worked it. Crime scene investigators, detectives, everyone involved in this case – many of us are parents, and it’s very difficult to understand how someone could do this to their child, kill their child and bury them and move on with their life as if nothing happened.”
“It’s a struggle every day but we continue to pray and have faith,” said the girl’s aunt Sabrina Baker back in May per cbs17.
This is very hurtful,” she added. “This innocent child.”
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