MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – A man and woman have been arrested following the death of a one-year-old baby.
Kiya Moore, 21, and Dejon Smith, 34, are charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated child neglect.
At 3:00 a.m. on Saturday, officials received a call about one-year-old Kali Moore, who had suffered cardiac arrest at LeBonheur Children’s Hospital.
Shortly after 4 a.m., doctors declared Kali Moore dead
Investigators went to the crime scene inside the home and found that there was no baby formula to be found and it was unclear if Kali Moore had a suitable or safe place to sleep.
According to the affidavit, Smith and Kiya Moore took care of the one-year-old shortly before 2:40 a.m., since Thursday at 5:00 p.m.
Both Kiya Moore and Smith made conflicting statements about what happened to Kali Moore.
Kiya Moore told police she left the apartment and left Smith with the 1-year-old.
According to the affidavit, she said Kali Moore was unresponsive when she returned.
According to the affidavit, Kiya Moore told police that Smith refused to tell her what happened and told her to tell police that she fell asleep in bed while holding Kali before falling out of bed and hitting her head on the nightstand.
She then called a family member and asked them to take the one-year-old to LeBonheur Children’s Hospital.
Smith told police that Kiya Moore was screaming in the back room with Kali Moore and he heard her crying.
He then heard Kiya Moore slam the one-year-old child against the floor, walls and wooden furniture six to 10 times, the affidavit states.
Smith told officers that he attempted CPR and poured cold water on the baby. Kiya Moore then called a family member to take Kali Moore to LeBonheur Hospital.
An examination at LeBonheur Child Hospital revealed that Kali Moore had suffered fatal injuries, including multiple skull fractures with brain hemorrhage, a contused kidney, elevated liver enzymes consistent with abdominal trauma, and blood in the lungs, the affidavit states.
Smith and Kiya Moore are expected in court on Monday.
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