Dineshia Yates and Terica Scott (East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office)
Two women and two boys in Louisiana have been arrested in connection with the brutal killing of a 3-year-old girl who authorities say was beaten to death by the two younger suspects, ages 10 and 12, while the adults were at a local casino.
Terica Scott, 26, and Dineshia Yates, 26, were taken into custody on Friday and Saturday, respectively, and charged with one count each of principal to simple battery and principal to second-degree murder in the death of Blessing Buckles, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
The two juveniles were also arrested and charged with one count each of battery and second-degree murder.
According to a news release from the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, deputies at about 3:45 p.m. on Monday responded to a call regarding an unresponsive 3-year-old girl at a home in the 3300 block of O’Neal Lane. The caller identified themselves as a child and told the emergency dispatcher that there were no adults in the home.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders said they observed Scott, who authorities identified as the mother of the 10-year-old suspect and the aunt of the 12-year-old suspect, and Yates, identified as the mother of the 3-year-old victim, pulling into the driveway of the residence with their hazard lights on. Upon making contact with police, both women said they had left the children in the home alone while they went to the casino.
The ages of the children in the home ranged from 11 months to 12 years old.
Emergency medical personnel were able to resuscitate the 3-year-old victim before transporting her to a hospital for treatment where she was admitted in critical condition. Unfortunately, Blessing succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead on Wednesday, Feb. 14.
The medical staff at the hospital informed authorities that Blessing had suffered a brain bleed as well as bruising to the face and body which were likely caused by blunt force trauma.
In police interviews, the two women said that they regularly left the eight children in the home without supervision while they went gambling at the casino during the two weeks that Yates and her children had been staying with Scott and her family, Baton Rouge ABC affiliate WBRZ reported.
Yates and Scott are reportedly friends and not related.
According to a report from Baton Rouge CBS affiliate WAFB, Scott allegedly told police she was aware that her 12-year-old nephew was violent with the other kids, specifically noting that he’d previously beaten and bruised at least one of her daughters. However, Scott reportedly “ignored her children’s pleas for help,” police wrote.
“A case like this is devastating,” Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said in a statement following the arrests. “My heart breaks for this child lost too soon, and I pray for the others involved. Please call law enforcement immediately if you are ever aware of abuse, neglect or desertion of children.”
Both Yates and Scott have previous criminal records.
According to WBRZ, Yates was arrested for stealing clothing from a Walmart and personal items from a home in 2017. In 2020, she also reportedly threw a brick through the windshield of another woman’s car.
Scott in 2021 was charged with murder but not indicted by a grand jury. She was also charged with arson last year. The current status of the latter case was not immediately clear as of Monday morning.
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