UPDATE: The Georgia Bureau of Investigation completed Ella Grayce Pointer's autopsy Tuesday. Officials are waiting on forensic testing and details from the investigation before releasing a cause of death.
Just days after a 21-month-old girl died at an Atlanta hospital, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is getting involved.
Polk County police asked for the GBI’s help in investigating Ella Grayce Pointer’s death, officials said Tuesday. Pointer died Sunday after she was found unresponsive at an apartment.
“The GBI’s Medical Examiner’s Office continues to work on the autopsy examination and law enforcement will rely on all evidence and follow all leads in order to get to the bottom of what occurred in this tragic incident,” GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said.
Family members say the girl was left with her mother’s boyfriend, Dustin D. Putnal, and a roommate, whose name was not released, on Saturday while she went to work.
Putnal and the roommate were taken in for questioning, but neither was arrested in connection with the case. However, police arrested Putnal, 27, for violation of his probation conditions. He was previously arrested on drug and theft charges.
Ella’s death sparked #JusticeforEllaGrayce on Facebook, with users sending prayers to the family and wondering what happened to the toddler.
Family members said they think the girl was murdered and said she had a fractured skill, internal bleeding and signs of sexual abuse.
An autopsy report has not been completed, the GBI said. Police are waiting for autopsy results and hospital records until they reveal an official cause of death.
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