10-Year-Old Girl Charged For ‘Stomping’ Baby To Death At Daycare

A 10-year-old girl was charged with the death of a child Monday after she allegedly stomped on the six-month-old boy's head at a daycare in Wisconsin.

She appeared at a bond hearing in Chippewa County Circuit Court in handcuffs and was charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the death of the baby. The girl, whose name was not released, was accompanied by her parents throughout the 10-minute hearing.

Chippewa County Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk said the girl was currently in juvenile custody. Reports said Circuit Judge James Isaacson ordered her to be held on $50,000 cash bond at the hearing.

According to Kowalczyk, the sheriff's department got a call last Tuesday regarding the incident. On Oct. 30, a caretaker at a daycare in the town of Wheaton called and said a six-month-old male was bleeding from the head and was unresponsive.

The infant was at first taken to a local hospital and then to Gillette Children’s Hospital in St Paul, Minnesota, where he died Nov. 1, two days after the incident.

A report in the Star Tribune said the police questioned one adult and three children who were at the daycare center, all of whom pointed at the 10-year-old girl as the suspect. The girl later admitted she hurt the toddler. According to reports, she at first told authorities she was holding the baby when she dropped him.

The baby hit his head on a footstool and began crying, the police said, adding this caused the girl to panic and stomp on the child’s head. A report in Daily Mail said a doctor who examined the body of the baby said the injuries were not accidental in nature.

Reports said the girl appeared in court Monday wearing a colorful striped skirt, a black hoodie, and pink sneakers. She had her head buried in her mother's arms and was in tears as the Chippewa County District Attorney Wade Newell described the charge against her.

The girl was removed from her biological parents and placed in foster care this September. But at the court hearing, they were present. Reports said the girl had been staying with the family who runs the daycare where the tragic death occurred. The reason why she was placed in foster care was not revealed.

The girl was not identified because there was a chance her case will be referred to juvenile court. But, Wisconsin law requires if the accused is age 10 or older, people with first-degree homicide charges against them should be brought in adult court. Other details about the girl and the infant who died were not immediately available.

Kowalczyk said "it's not been a good morning for Chippewa County,” referring to the death of the infant and the ongoing investigation into the deaths of three Girl Scouts and one of their mothers, who were hit and killed by a truck Saturday near Chippewa Falls.