BETHLEHEM, Ga. — A 34-year-old woman is facing murder charges after her eight-year-old stepdaughter died in Gwinnett County, Georgia. According to an arrest warrant, the woman is accused of beating the child with a rolling pin. The incident occurred on Tuesday at a home along Vine Springs Trace in Bethlehem, where officers responded to a medical call concerning the child. Upon arrival, first responders pronounced the girl dead at the scene.
Police revealed that the child was at home with an adult woman when she experienced a medical emergency. The woman promptly alerted the girl’s father, who rushed home and discovered the child unresponsive. He immediately began performing CPR. The arrest of Natiela Barros, the 34-year-old stepmother, was announced on Wednesday morning. Barros, who is married to the child’s biological father, now faces charges including cruelty to children in the first degree, aggravated assault, felony murder, and malice murder.
An arrest warrant against Barros alleges that she beat the child with a wooden rolling pin numerous times and failed to seek medical assistance afterwards. During her appearance before a judge on Wednesday morning, Barros was denied bond due to being deemed a danger to both individuals and the community.
Further details surrounding the ongoing criminal investigation have not been disclosed. Authorities have confirmed that an autopsy will be conducted to determine the exact cause and manner of the child’s death.