A carer accused of killing a four year-old girl with special needs beat the youngster so hard her pancreas lacerated, a court heard.
Shawna Gatto, 44, is said to have bludgeoned Kendall Chick hard in the abdomen just before the youngster died at her home in Augusta, Maine, in December 2017.
Gatto, who was engaged to Kendalls grandfather, and acted as the youngsters primary caregiver, reportedly texted her partner three months before Kendall died to say Im so (expletive) done with this kid.
She reportedly claimed that Kendall had fallen face-first onto a coffee table, and gone to the bathroom all over the floor.
The youngster was born to an opioid-dependent mother and suffered developmental delays.
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During a hearing Monday, the court was shown photos of Kendalls injuries that were so graphic a prosecutor had to ask for one to be taken down.
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The pancreatic injury is believed to have been inflicted between one and 12 hours before Kendall died, although the youngster was covered with numerous other injuries.
Maine Chief Medical Examiner Dr Mark Flomenbaum told the court that Kendall had died from what he called child abuse syndrome, according to the Press Herald.
Flomenbaum added: A (child abuse) death can be caused by an acute event, or it can be a chronic thing over a long period of time.
In this case, although there was a catastrophic event, (Chick) still fell under the category of having child abuse syndrome because she had other injuries.
He explained how the little girl had 15 to 20 distinct injuries on her face, head and neck alone, as well as significant bruises on other parts of heRead More – Source
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