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My heart hurts. A 2-year-old has been beaten to death, and cops say it was her mother who killed the toddler for doing something every child has done at least once (if not more). Destinee Massey's supposed "crime"? The toddler peed on the floor.
For that cops say 23-year-old Brittney Massey beat her daughter within an inch of her life. The little girl died later at a hospital.
Yes, her parents took her to the hospital.
It may be better than the mom accused of killing her child in a similar potty training mishap a few years ago and then sat down to eat pizza. But I'm having a hard time seeing this as "remorse" or "caring" for the little girl.
It turns out it didn't help. According to police, Destinee's father first came home from work at 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday to find his daughter limp, groaning, and gasping for breath. Michael Miles, who is not under investigation, is said to have asked to take the girl to the hospital then and there, but cops say Brittney Massey said no. It wasn't until 8 a.m. that the hospital trip finally happened.
By that time, it was too late.
Now I'm a mom. I've potty trained. I know it's frustrating. But I'm really finding it hard to summon any kind of sympathy for actions this heinous.
Kids pee on the floor! That's what they do! Basically, it sounds like this child was killed for being a child!
What's more, I'm loathe to say that taking an abused child to the hospital mitigates the abuse itself in any circumstance -- even one where the child survives thanks to medical intervention. The fact is, if you don't hurt your child, you don't have to go to the hospital. Period.
If anything, the hospital trip here sounds less like it was about the girl than it was about an alleged abuser suddenly worrying she'd be in trouble.
And trouble she is in. Brittany Massey is facing charges of murder, battery resulting in death, and neglect of a dependent resulting in death.
If any of the allegations are true, I have to say I hope they throw the book at her -- trip to the hospital or no trip to the hospital. This little girl needed someone who would care for her from the beginning, not after a major beating.
What punishment fits the crime here?
Image via Indianapolis PD
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