Authorities in Georgia have charged the parents of an 8-month-old girl with her death, which occurred when she reportedly became trapped between a couch cushion and a mattress in a home described as unsanitary, and filled with animal waste and insects.
Authorities announced that Miguel Badillo, 24, and Kiara Davis, 27, were arrested on Wednesday and face charges of second-degree murder and second-degree child cruelty in connection with the death of their daughter Ellie. Additionally, they faced a charge for having items related to drug use.
On September 27, 2024, officers from the Columbus, Georgia, Police Department were dispatched to a home in the 4300 block of Rosemont Drive following a report concerning the death of an 8-month-old girl.
Investigators from the Special Victims Unit carried out a search warrant at the residence and discovered that “the infant had been placed on an angled mattress on a love seat, with no safety measures in place to prevent the infant from rolling off and becoming wedged between the mattress and couch cushions.”
After looking into the details surrounding Ellie’s death, authorities secured arrest warrants for Badillo and Davis on November 8, 2024. On November 13, both individuals were apprehended.
Image: The residence of the victim and the parents; WTVM
An officer who responded to the scene stated that the state of the home was shocking.
“There were multiple animals inside the house that were unconfined. There was animal feces,” the officer told a judge during the proceedings. “There were insects in every room of the house. There was half-eaten food that was decaying in every room of the house.”
Davis, present at home, allegedly left the baby unattended while stepping outside to converse with a friend. Badillo was absent from the residence at the time of his daughter’s passing, yet he was allegedly charged due to his awareness of the hazardous circumstances that officials claim contributed to Ellie’s demise.
“Both parents were well aware of the conditions in the household and they were both aware of the sleeping arrangement for the child,” the officer told the court.
A different investigator detailed to the court that the victim “fell off a bedroom mattress and got stuck between the edge of the mattress and the couch cushion.” The investigator reported that the child succumbed to asphyxiation.
Nonetheless, Howard Turner, the landlord of the couple, informed WTVM that he does not view Davis and Badillo as unkind to their child, asserting that Ellie’s passing was merely a “freak accident.”
“And they were very caring of that baby based on what I could tell, and it was just like a freak accident,” he told the station.
After the hearing on Friday, the case has been transferred to Muscogee County Superior Court. Davis and Badillo are presently in custody at the Muscogee County Jail, where they are held without the option for bond.
