Florida Mother Charged With Brutal Murder of 'Whining' Child
A 21-year-old woman from Citrus County, FL who was arrested for the murder of her 2-year-old daughter will face a judge today in her first court appearance since being taken into custody by police last week.
Early last Friday morning the woman, Chelsea Marie Hugget, became frustrated and agitated with her daughter Aliyah's whining. Hugget responded by allegedly covering the girl's mouth to quiet her, then slamming the child's head into a wall and headbutting her, knocking her unconscious.
According to reports, Hugget did not do anything to revive her child and instead laid next to her and watched her die.
When Hugget's roommate arrived at the Hernando home later on he realized the child was not moving and called 911. Emergency responders were dispatched to Hugget's home, where they found the child "not breathing, conscious or alert," ABC News reports.
Emergency Medical Technicians attempted to rescusitate the child but were unable to save her. She was pronounced dead after being rushed to nearby Citrus Memorial Hospital.
According to authorities, the emergency room doctor who treated the girl noted swelling and bruising on her face including her left eye, which was swollen shut. Blood and yellow fluids were seeping from the child's ears and blood was coming from her nose. She was also reported to have several bruises covering her entire body.
The medical examiner determined that the child had a skull fracture and hemorrhaging on the left side of her swollen brain, according to reports from News 10.
An autopsy determined the cause of death to be excessive trauma and the death itself was ruled a homicide. Hugget faces charges of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse. She is currently eight months pregnant.
According to the Department of Children and Families (DCF), Hugget has been investigated twice before for child abuse and neglect allegations, though nothing ever came of it. ABC Action News reports that DCF officials have plans to meet to discuss the best place for placement of Hugget's unborn baby upon delivery.
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