The medical examiner ruled the 6-year-old's death as a result of child abuse
A Bronx mother who allegedly hung her 6-year-old daughter by her wrists and beat her to death was charged with murder. The 6-year-old, Jelayah Eason Branch, was found with bruises, signs of malnutrition, and wrist marks from being restrained and hung in a closet where she was allegedly beaten by her mother, the New York Post reported.
Lynija Eason, a 27-year-old from East 165th Street in the Morrisania section, allegedly subjected her daughter, Jelayah Eason Branch, to weeks of brutal abuse starting on March 1.
Police discovered the child's body in the squalid apartment on May 26, 2023, according to the Bronx District Attorney's Office.
"The little girl was allegedly hanged by her wrists and beaten by the defendant with a hard object," DA Darcel Clark said in a news release. "For weeks before she succumbed, Jelayah knew only pain and hunger, allegedly committed by her mother."
The medical examiner ruled the 6-year-old's death as a result of child abuse positional asphyxia, blunt force injuries and malnourishment.
"We will get justice for Jelayah, and are providing services and support to her two siblings who survived a house of horrors," Clark added.
Eason has been indicted on charges of second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, second-degree manslaughter, and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, according to Clark.
Bronx Supreme Court Justice Brenda Rivera ordered that Eason remain in custody at the Rose M. Singer Center in the Bronx, where she is currently detained.
Eason is scheduled to return to court on June 26.