4-Year-Old Girl Dies After Being Beaten, Dunked In Pond; Mother And Brother Assaulted

Two people in Missouri were arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman and her two children. The attack also led to the death of the woman's 4-year-old daughter.

The accused allegedly beat up the girl and dunked her in a pond, the child's father, identified as 28-year-old James Mast, said.

The mother and her 2-year-old toddler were also badly beaten up. They were hospitalized and received treatment for their injuries.

Benton County sheriff’s deputies responded to a Cole Camp home after being informed about the incident by Mast, news outlet KRCGTV reported. Mast told authorities his daughter was “left to freeze on the bank before being taken back into the residence,” the Benton County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post.

"After an investigation by Benton County Deputies, Ethan J. Mast, 35 and Kourtney T. Aumen, 21 of a neighboring residence were arrested pending multiple felony charges," the post read. "This is still an active investigation with the possibility of further arrests, so we are unable to provide any further details at this time."

In a recent incident, two children were permanently disfigured after being beaten and burned. A 27-year-old woman from North Las Vegas was arrested and charged with two counts of child abuse resulting in substantial bodily harm.

In another case, a babysitter was charged with killing a 2-year-old girl in Atlanta. The victim was identified as Fallon Fridley. The accused, Kirstie Flood, was charged with two counts of felony murder, one count of malice murder, aggravated battery and cruelty to children.

An investigation into the killing was launched on Dec. 9 after authorities received a report about an unresponsive child inside an apartment in Sandy Springs. Emergency officials arrived at the scene and rushed the child to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, where she was pronounced dead. Flood initially told investigators the child hit her head on a slide in a park and did not wake up. However, an autopsy report showed the injuries on the child were not consistent with Flood's story. It was later revealed Fridley was beaten to death.