A DeKalb County mother has been charged with murder in the Sunday night death of her 3-year-old daughter.
Jail records show Meriel Bemis, 21, who lives in the Landmark at Mountain View apartments near Stone Mountain, was booked into the DeKalb County Jail just before 6:30 a.m. Monday, and DeKalb police Capt. Steven Fore confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she was the deceased girl’s mother.
Bemis was charged with one count of felony murder, jail records show.
On Tuesday, Bemis waived her first court appearance. The next hearing in the case will be March 20.
Police told Channel 2 Action News that the incident began with an argument between Bemis and her boyfriend that prompted him to leave. Officers said Bemis then called him for help and he returned home.
The boyfriend called 911 about 11:30 p.m. after finding the girl lifeless when he arrived at the apartment, Channel 2 said.
The girl, identified Monday as Lela Bemis, was pronounced dead on arrival at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston.
Police aren’t saying if the argument played a role in the child’s death, according to Channel 2.
Fore said an autopsy would be performed to determine how the girl died. Police told Channel 2 that the mother has admitted to suffocating the child because she was upset her boyfriend broke up with her.
The woman’s boyfriend does not face any charges, police said.
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