Babysitter Charged With Murder Of Missing Philadelphia Toddler

A babysitter has been arrested in connection with the suspected murder of a two-year-old Philadelphia boy who went missing earlier this month. The toddler’s body is yet to be found.

King Hill was presumed dead after two weeks of investigation. His babysitter, Tianna Parks, 24, was charged with murder Monday, July 20, ABC News reported.

Parks is facing charges of endangering the welfare of a child, abuse of the corpse, tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice. She is being held without bail and it was unclear if she had obtained an attorney.

“The death of King Hill is an unbearable tragedy that is compounded by Tianna Parks’ actions," Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said Monday. "This precious baby’s family and community deserve to know how he died. They deserve the opportunity to bury and mourn him with dignity. This child deserved so much better in life. My office will continue to work alongside the Philadelphia Police and FBI to seek justice for his death.”

Hill’s stepfather, Marvin Reese, filed a missing-person report with the police on July 8, about two weeks after he dropped the toddler off with Parks. The babysitter had claimed to have returned the toddler to his mother on July 8. The mother said she assumed the boy was still in his stepfather's care. Investigators believed he was last sighted alive on July 5.

Officials with the Philadelphia Police Department said that video and cell phone evidence pointed to Parks’ involvement in the murder and highlighted the inconsistencies in her statements during the interrogation. Authorities declined to offer specifics about the evidences.

“We don’t right now have a mechanism of King Hill’s death. We don’t know the location of his body,” Anthony Voci, homicide chief at the District Attorney’s Office, was quoted in The Philadelphia Inquirer as saying. “But we know, based on the evidence that we have, that he was in fact killed by Ms. Parks.”

King’s mother, Amber Hill, told the police she didn’t know Parks and had no idea why she might have killed him. “I’m not going to get closure,” Hill said.

The Special Victims Unit was joined by the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department Homicide unit in investigating the case. Philadelphia Police Department Captain Mark Burgmann told ABC News that the case was one of the toughest in his 40-year career.