KEY POINTS

  • The girl was with Milton Ray Horton Jr. when she was found unresponsive
  • She had two gashes on her head and was hyperventilating
  • A concerned individual alerted the police about her condition
  • Horton, who had prior arrests, was charged with murder

A 27-year-old man who was charged with the murder of a 4-year-old girl has admitted to striking the victim in the stomach during their stay in a hotel room in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Milton Ray Horton Jr., the accused, had his first court appearance Monday afternoon, during which an assistant Wake County district attorney told the judge about his admission.

Horton was alone with the girl when she was found unresponsive at 4:30 a.m. Sunday, reported CBS 17. Officers were called to Candlewood Suites on Lead Mine Road by a person who said he thought the girl had fallen asleep on the toilet and had hit her head on the sink.

According to the frantic caller, the girl had two gashes on her head and was hyperventilating. She was also reported to have had a low pulse.

The caller claimed that he had applied vaseline on the girl's wounds to stop the bleeding.

The child was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to the injuries, police said. According to the officers, although Horton and the child were not blood relatives, they knew each other. Investigators are also working to get more information about their relationship.

The identity of the victim has not been released by the authorities.

It's unclear why Horton was in the hotel with the child. The police also did not divulge more details about how the girl had sustained injuries.

Horton had prior arrests, WRAL said in a report. He had been arrested in Wake County as an adult six times for various crimes such as breaking and entering, resisting a public officer and trespassing.

During his court appearance, Horton requested a court-appointed attorney. However, the attorney's office has not yet determined if this is a capital murder case.

Horton will remain in jail without bond, the judge said as per CBS 17. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 17.

Meanwhile, police have requested anyone with information to come forward. The public can contact Raleigh CrimeStoppers at (919) 834-HELP or visit raleighcrimestoppers.org.

In a similar case in February, a 2-month-old baby was hospitalized with 27 broken bones after being brutally abused by her mother and her mother's boyfriend. Lamar County Police arrested the baby's mother, Jessica Miranda Coffey, 30, and her boyfriend, Philip Luke Norman, 28, on charges of first-degree child abuse. The abuse came to light after the infant's mother brought the little girl to a hospital where doctors learned about the child's injury.

child abuse
Child abuse Gettyimages/chameleonseye
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