A Pennsylvania woman has been arrested and is currently in custody for the tragic death of her 3-year-old granddaughter. According to authorities, the child suffered severe abuse over a period of time and sadly passed away over the Labor Day weekend due to her injuries.
A criminal complaint and affidavit of probable cause obtained by Law&Crime reveal that Denise Johnson, 56, is facing serious charges including criminal homicide in the first degree, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children, abuse of a corpse, and corruption of minors.
Tragically, the heartbreaking incident involving the loss of Ayla Lyric-Ann Miller, 3, was witnessed by one of the defendant’s other grandchildren, according to the police. Another child was reportedly involved, as their grandmother allegedly enlisted them to provide one of the “implements” used in the fatal attack.
According to the affidavit, Ayla was discovered deceased in her bed at the Allegheny Commons apartments in Pittsburgh on Sunday, Sept. 1. She was found wearing a pink and blue skirt and gray tights.
According to the court document, there were noticeable bruises on the left side of her face, including her cheekbone, just below her eye, and near her ear. The girl also had a noticeable injury near her left hip bone. Visible bruises extended from her ear to near her chest on the right side of her body. The girl’s right forearm, from her elbow to her hand, displayed a noticeable amount of bruising. She had an infected wound on her right ankle and a cigarette burn on her left ankle. Additionally, an injury was observed on her sternum, appearing as a scratch or a scar.
On that day, Ayla’s uncle made a call to 911. The woman was discovered with a cold body, blood on the bed, and was declared dead at 11:46 a.m.
The investigation progressed rapidly.
Investigators discovered that the girl had been staying with her grandmother for about a month and a half due to her mother’s electricity being shut off. This led to efforts to find a new permanent home.
Shortly after 2:20 p.m., the police sent a text message to the grandmother who was not present.
Later on, the defendant’s sister was brought to police headquarters to provide a statement, as stated in the affidavit. During her interview with investigators, she recounted a conversation that lasted around nine minutes, which took place shortly before 2:30 p.m. In the conversation, Johnson started by offering an apology. According to the court document, Johnson later confessed to her actions.
According to the court document, Johnson repeatedly apologized and expressed her confusion about the situation. The defendant’s sister inquired about the reason for not calling 911, to which Johnson reportedly responded that she was frightened. Ultimately, Johnson’s sister managed to persuade her to reach out to the authorities.
As time went on, the individual identified as Johnson reluctantly responded to the police’s text messages, albeit with some hesitation. Johnson reportedly inquired about the sender of the text message and acknowledged the necessity of surrendering.
Later, the detective inquired about the defendant’s whereabouts, but reportedly received no further response. She was apprehended on Monday.
Another grandchild of Johnson was also questioned by investigators. According to reports, the child claimed that during the incident, Johnson repeatedly struck their cousin with a large wooden stick, causing Ayla to become immobile due to the severity of the beating.
According to the affidavit, Ayla’s nose and head started bleeding during the altercation. The child described the ongoing attack, with blood flowing and drying as it went on. According to investigators, the assault took place in Johnson’s bedroom, as reported by the other grandchild. Throughout the incident, the defendant reportedly utilized various objects to assault Ayla.
The defendant is currently in custody at the Allegheny County Jail without bail. Her next court appearance is scheduled for September 13th.