Mother claims her 3-year-old daughter died after being placed in couple’s custody
Phil Archer, Reporter
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HOUSTON – A Houston couple has been charged in connection with the beating death of a 3-year-old girl who had been placed in their care by Child Protective Services as a safety precaution, according to her mother.
Huey Hamilton, 53, and Shawanda Hamilton, 36, are each charged with injury to a child in connection with the beating death of Tarija Carter. The little girl died in January 2020, and it took months of investigation to determine the cause and circumstances of her death.
“This was a chronic situation,” said Harris County prosecutor Gilbert Sawtelle. “There were healed-patterned injuries all over her body and there was evidence of non-accidental trauma.”
Caretakers charged in January 2020 death of toddler in Harris County
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Authorities are investigating the shooting of a 15-year-old at a hotel in north Harris County on Monday, July 1, 2019.
Two caretakers were arrested in the January 2020 death of 3-year-old Tarika Carter in Harris County, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said Tuesday.
Shawanda Harris, 35, and Huey Hamilton, 52, have been taken to Harris County Jail on a charge of injury to a child. Harris bond was set at $150,000. The total bond for Hamilton, who also was charged with possession of a controlled substance, was set at $255,000.
Deputies first encountered the injured child Jan. 23, 2020, at Texas Children s Hospital. She suffered severe bruising and injuries over much of her body, the sheriff s office said.