A young mother and her boyfriend have been charged after a four-year-old girl was found dead with several bite marks and bruises.
Jerome Millen and Christina Collado were charged in connection to the death of 4-year-old Autumn Marie Horak who passed away at the scene of the incident, according to South Milwaukee police.
Reports said that the young girl was found with several suspected bite marks and head-to-toe bruises.
Collado, the girl’s mother, said to police that she helped her child sleep on Thursday but when Millen, her boyfriend, woke up the next day, Autumn was already unresponsive.
Witnesses said to police that the girl had been covered in bruises and was abused all the time. They also said to cops that they had seen the abuse happen in their home.
Collado admitted that her boyfriend had abused her daughter in the past. She also admitted that if she had only protected Autumn, she would still be alive today.
When asked by South Milwaukee detectives, Millen admitted to hitting the girl, holding a pillow over her face, and covering the girl’s mouth.
Autumn’s family described her as a ‘chatter-box’ who enjoyed talking to anyone. Her obituary also described how she loved playing with her baby brother Greyson.
One internet user commented: “Witnesses in the home told police that the child was abused often and had been covered in bruises. Well why didn’t these witnesses go and report it when they first heard/seen something? I hope they feel guilty knowing what they know and keeping quiet about it until it was to late.”
Another wrote: “You should need to pass a test before you are allowed to reproduce. And it is always the worst people who have the most children.”
A third added: “So people knew what the poor baby girl was going through being abused yet did nothing to protect her or prevent it happening again?”
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Replaced!