CHICOT COUNTY, AR (WCMH) — A man now faces capital murder charges after a 3-year-old girl died in a case of suspected abuse, KARK-TV reports.
An incident report with the Chicot County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) states the child was brought into an Arkansas emergency room Tuesday night by her mother and grandmother with injuries described as “severe.” The mother of the child told deputies her boyfriend, Jeffery Tucker, had spanked Journee Orji at her home earlier in the day.
The 3-year-old was later airlifted to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock where she later died from her injuries.
Police say Tucker fled the home in the mother’s vehicle. He was captured hours later and charged with capital murder.
Tucker is being held in the Jefferson County Jail without bond.