Babysitter charged in 2-year-old’s death Googled ‘sudden urge’ to hit children, GA cops say
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A Georgia woman is charged with murder in the death of a 2-year-old child she was looking after, according to police and multiple news outlets.
Kirstie Flood, 29, was arrested Friday on two counts of felony murder, and one count each of malice murder and aggravated assault, according to Sandy Springs police. She’s also charged with first-degree cruelty to children.
The department launched an investigation Dec. 9 after officers received a call about an unresponsive child at an apartment in Sandy Springs, just 17 miles north of Atlanta. The toddler was taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, where she died, police said in a news release.
The child, whose name was not publicly revealed, was under Flood’s care at the time. Her parents told local station WSB-TV that Flood had been their full-time babysitter for months and that they never suspected anything unusual.
An autopsy revealed the child died from “severe injuries” that weren’t consistent with Flood’s initial claims that the toddler hit her head on a slide at the playground, police said.
A search of Flood‘s cellphone also showed that she had been Googling things such as “what does it mean to have a sudden urge to beat a child that’s not yours?” and “what type of people enjoy abusing other people’s children?” according to a warrant obtained by WSB-TV.
Flood remains in custody at the Fulton County Jail, online records show.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Sandy Springs Police Department at 770-551-3313.
This story was originally published December 15, 2020 at 12:28 PM with the headline "Babysitter charged in 2-year-old’s death Googled ‘sudden urge’ to hit children, GA cops say."