Alabama Mother Beat Toddler With Brick, Choked Child, Blamed It On 'Devil'

An Alabama woman was arrested after she allegedly beat her 2-year-old son with a brick and choked him. The woman, identified as Melody Smith, 33, said that the "devil" made her abuse the child.

The Walker County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a small child being assaulted on Wednesday. When police arrived at the residence, they found the child being rushed to the hospital by family members, according to WBMA. The child was later moved to a hospital in Birmingham.

After the arrest, Smith admitted to the attack and described her son as the "devil." Smith was arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse. She is currently being held in the Walker County Jail with a bond of $250,000.

Officials said that the child, who sustained multiple serious injuries, is in stable condition.

“At one point he wasn’t breathing,” Sheriff’s Investigator Carl Carpenter told the Associated Press. “There were indications of hypoxia.” The child is expected to live, but it is unclear if the injuries will cause any permanent damage.

“I’m just glad the little guy lived. That was my worry,” Carpenter reportedly said. “He’s a little fighter.”

The incident is being investigated by the Alabama Department of Human Resources and emergency custody arrangements for the boy have been issued. He has been placed in the custody of a family member for the time being.

In a recent incident, a 26-year-old Pennsylvania mother was charged with homicide five days after the death of her 15-month-old baby. The incident took place in Adams County.

Local police said that Felisha L. Ellis called 911 and when dispatchers arrived she told them that she had dropped the girl and that the child was not breathing. The child was flown from her home in the 1900 block of Upper Bermudian Road, Tyrone Township, to Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, where the child died.

Ellis told them she had gotten custody of the girl in February. Doctors told investigators the child’s “numerous, very serious” injuries could not have been caused by a fall, police said. Ellis later admitted to shaking the child repeatedly. When questioned, Ellis “explained being frustrated and upset.”