8-year-old found dead after medical call, Georgia cops say. Now, stepmother arrested
.jpg "A Georgia woman charged with murder and other offenses after her 8-year-old stepdaughter suffered a medical emergency at their home, police say.")
UPDATE: The father of an 8-year-old girl found beaten to death at the family’s Atlanta-area home is now also charged in connection to her death, Gwinnett County police said Feb. 1.
Cledir Mendes Barros, 37, was arrested Jan. 31 after his wife was accused of beating the girl with a rolling pin, causing her death, WSB-TV and WAGA reported.
He‘s charged with second-degree murder and child cruelty, according to jail records. He remains in custody at the Gwinnett County Jail without bond.
The original story continues below.
A woman faces multiple charges — including murder — after her 8-year-old stepdaughter suffered a “medical emergency” at their Georgia home, police say.
Natiela Barros, 34, was arrested Tuesday, Jan. 30, after she was accused of beating the girl to death with a rolling pin, WSB-TV and WXIA reported, citing an arrest warrant.
Barros is charged with child cruelty, aggravated assault, felony murder and malice murder, Gwinnett County police said in a news release.
EMS responded to a medical call at the family’s home in Bethlehem just after 2:15 p.m., police said. By the time officers arrived, medics determined the girl was dead.
Investigators said the child was at home with Barros when she had “some kind of medical emergency.” Barros called her husband, who arrived to find his daughter unresponsive “and not breathing,” police said.
That’s when he called 911 and started CPR, according to authorities.
In the warrant, police said Barros acknowledged striking the child on the back of the neck “out of anger.” She reportedly hit her stepchild 10 to 20 times and didn’t get her medical treatment after the violent attack, WXIA reported, citing court records.
Police didn’t give additional details on the girl’s death, but called it “suspicious” and said a medical examiner will determine the exact cause.
“An 8-year-old dying inside the home is not a normal occurrence,” Cpl. Ryan Winderweedle said during a news conference.
Barros remained in custody at the Gwinnett County Jail without bond as of Jan. 31, online records show.
Bethlehem is about 50 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.
This story was originally published January 31, 2024 at 9:27 AM with the headline "8-year-old found dead after medical call, Georgia cops say. Now, stepmother arrested."