Babysitter Charged in Death of 23-Month-Old Boy She’s Accused of Abusing, Throwing Into Wall

Michigan woman Kimora Launmei Hodges has been charged with felony murder after the 23-month-old boy she abused died of his injuries.

Per Click on Detroit, Taylor Starks went to pick up her son Kyrie from 21-year-old Hodges, who is her neighbor, on June 13. Hodges noted Kyrie “did not appear normal,” and the child was taken to a nearby hospital by an ambulance. Hodges, who had watched him for multiple months, later admitted she abused the boy and was arrested on first-degree child abuse charges. The child died of his injuries following emergency surgery, and Hodges has since been charged with murder.

According to police, Hodges has been “very cooperative and very regretful” throughout the investigation. The boy suffered from blunt force trauma to the head, and was bleeding out of his ears when he arrived at the hospital. 

“Once I made it there my baby was on the ground having seizure, after seizure, after seizure,” Starks, 18, told WJBK. “He had blunt force trauma to the head and he was bleeding out his ears and had to have immediate brain surgery. All I know is she threw my son into the wall and shook him up pretty bad and they said that’s just a bit of what she did to him.”

Taylor Starks has launched a GoFundMe to help raise money, far surpassing its $17,500 goal and now sitting at $76,775 via 2,800 donations. In the description of the campaign, she accused Hodges of lying to her about the state of her son and trying to cover up the abuse, saying Kyrie was suffering from an “allergic reaction” from eating soap.

“She’s been watching my son for months and i know how hard it is to have to deal with a kid so she could have just told me before she did this to him but there’s no excuse for hurting him like this!!!” Starks wrote of Hodges. “i’ve always been self conscious of who keep my son just because this was my biggest fear ever and it’s coming true.”