Left: Daisha Somers (Hocking County Sheriff’s Office). Right: Ka’myla Somers (GoFundMe).
An Ohio mother has been charged with murder for killing her 10-month-old daughter, with local officials accusing her of assaulting the baby so badly that she suffered seven skull fractures, bleeding of the stomach, blood in the urine, retinal hemorrhages, multiple strokes and prolonged cardiac arrest.
Daisha Somers, 27, tried telling investigators in 2022 that her child, Ka’myla Somers, had fallen out of her toddler bed that November and struck her head, police reported at the time. But her injuries were later found to be “inconsistent with the trauma she had suffered,” according to a press release posted by the Hocking County Sheriff’s Office after the baby’s death.
Somers and her boyfriend, Jerry Johnson, both claimed they heard a loud “thud” and then found Ka’myla unresponsive on the floor. “Neither of the individuals called 911, or requested an emergency squad,” the sheriff’s office said. “The child was taken in their personal vehicle to the hospital, several hours later.”
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Friday that Somers was charged with murder, involuntary manslaughter, felonious assault, corrupting another with drugs, endangering children and aggravated possession of drugs in connection with her daughter’s death. Johnson, who was not Ka’myla’s father, was charged with child endangerment after Ka’myla’s death was first reported, as was Somers, but he has not been booked for murder.
“Somers admitted to smoking methamphetamine, and Johnson admitted to smoking marijuana and was intoxicated after consuming alcoholic beverages,” the sheriff’s office said. “[Johnson] stated he found the child unresponsive and not breathing while Somers was doing laundry at another location.”
After bringing the child to the hospital, Ka’myla was placed on life support. She showed no signs of brain activity and was declared dead on Nov. 23, 2022.
Somers was indicted last week by a Hocking County grand jury and taken into custody in West Virginia. She is currently being held without bond.
The original child endangerment charges against Somers and Johnson were dismissed in April 2023 while prosecutors sought an indictment by a grand jury for murder, according to The Logan Daily News. A special prosecutor was appointed to help with the case after local officials declared that it would take “an incredible amount of analysis, effort, and specialized expertise,” the newspaper reported.
Officials have said that the years-long delay was due to the investigation being “heavily reliant on forensic evidence, expert testimony, and medical information/opinion/analysis.” It was reported that prosecutors needed “more time for further investigation, data and evidence analysis, and confirmation of a variety of medical professional opinions,” according to the Daily News.
“Ka’Myla was 10 months old with a smile that would light up a room,” a GoFundMe said about the child in 2022, with the fundraiser being launched by her father’s sister.
“She was full of life and was learning to walk,” the description said. “She enjoyed watching cartoons and talking on the phone. Charles is heartbroken and is currently unable to work. Charles should be planning Ka’Myla’s 1st birthday in January, not his daughter’s funeral.”
