A North Carolina mom allegedly forced her 4-year-old daughter to stand for three straight days as punishment, causing the girl to become so weak that she fell and suffered fatal injuries, authorities said.
Malikah Bennett, 31, of Charlotte, has been charged on suspicion of murder and child abuse in the death last year of her daughter, Majelic Young, news station Fox36 reported.
Police said the girl hadn’t been seen since last summer before her body was found in May in the family’s backyard, the outlet reported.
An arrest warrant revealed that Majelic had likely been dead since August 2020 — following days of torture for soiling herself.
Her older sister told authorities that Bennett punished Majelic for the incident by forcing her to stand in the laundry room for three straight days, Fox36 reported.
Bennett allegedly wouldn’t allow her daughter to sit down or takes breaks, which led her to become so weak by the third day that she fell backward out of the door and hit her head, police said.
The mom attempted to perform CPR on the girl, but the child died, the warrant said.
She then allegedly wrapped Majelic’s body in two plastic bags and put her in the trunk of her SUV without notifying authorities of her death, the outlet reported.
The remains were left in the SUV for several days before they were ultimately buried in the backyard, the warrant said.
Bennett remained held Thursday in Mecklenburg County jail, according to court records. She has yet to enter a plea in the case.