SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. – A babysitter in Georgia has been charged with the murder of a 2-year-old girl who was under her care.
The Sandy Springs Police Department said in a statement Tuesday that it began investigating on Dec. 9, when it received a report of an unresponsive child inside an apartment.
First responders rushed the girl to an Atlanta-area hospital, where police say she was pronounced dead by medical personnel.
Detectives say the child had been in the care of her babysitter at the time, 29-year-old Kirstie Flood.
Later, police say an autopsy performed on the child revealed she suffered severe injuries that resulted in her death while under the care of Flood.
Flood has since been arrested and charged with two counts of felony murder, one count of malice murder, one count of aggravated battery, and one count of cruelty to children.
The police department didn’t release the identity of the victim. However, loved ones have told news outlets in the Atlanta area that the girl’s name was Fallon Fridley.
Fallon’s parents told WSB-TV that Flood had been their full-time babysitter since August and they never suspected she would be capable of something like this.
According to a warrant obtained by WSB-TV, police allegedly discovered Flood had been searching things on her phone, like “what type of people enjoy abusing other people’s children” and “what does it mean to have a sudden urge to beat a child that’s not yours.”
Authorities are continuing to investigate. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Detective Delaney by email at WDelaney@SandySpringsGA.Gov or by calling 770-551-3313.