Two women have been charged with murder for the death of a 2-year-old girl in Northeast Philadelphia, including the child's godmother, in what an assistant city district attorney described a horrific case of abuse.
Yaritza Cirilo-Fuentes, 32, and Helen Smith have been charged in the little girl's death. The victim has not been identified.
Cirilo-Fuentes was the godmother and primary caretaker of the baby, and Smith was a babysitter, the district attorney's office said.
The little girl was found last Thursday by medics who arrived at a house in the 6300 block of Marsden Street. They were called because of a report of a baby having trouble breathing.
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The girl was taken to St. Christopher’s Hospital where she died.
The two women were taken into custody Saturday and have since been charged, District Attorney Larry Krasner said.
The child has "open wounds that seemed to be pretty old," one of Krasners assistant DAs said at a press conference Monday. She had bruises on her forehead and back of the head, and the alleged abuse seemed to be "going on for a long period of time," the ADA said.
