A three-year-old girl was beaten to death by two male cousins aged 12 and 10, while her mother and the boys’ mother and aunt were together gambling at a casino.
The children have since been charged with murder. Dineshia Yates, the mother of the toddler, and Terice Scott, the mother of the 10-year-old and aunt of the 12-year-old, have been implicated in the case and face charges of child neglect.
The fatal incident occurred on February 12 at Scott’s home on O’Neal Lane in Baton Rouge.
Blessing Buckles, the three-year-old victim, suffered a brain bleed and extensive bruising to her face and body, indicating blunt force trauma inflicted by the juvenile suspects.
Deputies from the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office responded to a call from another child in the home, about an unconscious child, and found no adults present.
The child caller was unsure of the location of the residence where he was, which prompted the deputies to start kicking on doors in the vicinity. As they were doing so, a car pulled up with its hazard lights blinking. The car occupants, two ladies, mentioned that they had just come from a casino.
Scott and Yates, friends who are both 26, admitted that they had left all eight children, ranging from 11 months to 12 years old, home alone while they were out gambling at the casino. Yates and her children had been staying with Scott and her family at the time of the killing.
Blessing passed away two days later on February 14 in the hospital. Medical staff confirmed the severity of her injuries.
Investigations revealed that Yates had noticed bruises on at least one of her daughters after leaving them alone with the 12-year-old boy, who was known by Scott to be violent. Despite this, both women allegedly continued to leave the children unsupervised for extended periods.
Scott has a history of criminal behavior, including charges of murder in 2021 and arson in 2023. Yates also has prior arrests for theft and property damage.
The two juvenile suspects have been charged with battery and second-degree murder.
Sheriff Sid Gautreaux expressed his condolences to the family stating that such cases can be avoided. The Department of Children and Family Services has been notified about the situation, highlighting the need for vigilance in safeguarding children from harm.
