BATON ROUGE, La. — Four individuals, including two children, have been arrested in connection with the death of a 3-year-old girl in Louisiana. Blessing Buckles was allegedly beaten to death, and her mother, Dineshia Yates, along with Terica Scott, the mother and aunt of the younger suspects, were charged with principal to battery and principal to second-degree murder. The two juveniles, ages 10 and 12, were charged with battery and second-degree murder. The incident occurred while the adults were reportedly gambling at a local casino.
On Monday, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office received a call regarding an unresponsive 3-year-old girl at a residence on O’Neal Lane. Two women, Scott and Yates, arrived at the scene with their hazard lights on, informing authorities that they had left the children unsupervised while they were at the casino. The children in the home ranged in age from 11 months to 12 years old.
Emergency medical personnel were able to revive Blessing before transporting her to the hospital, where she was admitted in critical condition. Unfortunately, she later succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead on February 14th. Medical staff at the hospital reported that Blessing had suffered a brain bleed, as well as bruising to her face and body, indicating blunt force trauma.
During police interviews, both Scott and Yates admitted to frequently leaving the eight children unattended at the home while they went gambling. Scott allegedly knew about her 12-year-old nephew’s violent behavior towards the other children, but ignored their pleas for help. Sheriff Sid Gautreaux expressed his devastation over the case and urged the public to report any instances of child abuse or neglect.
The tragic case has prompted law enforcement to emphasize the importance of reporting child abuse and neglect. The Department of Children and Family Services has been notified about the incident.