A four-year-old Georgia boy has died after his teen sister allegedly beat him with a leather belt and then held him in a tub of 155-degree water as punishment for wetting himself.
Police said Aleshia Harris, the boy’s aunt, waited 24 hours to get Jamal Dunlap medical help, contributing to his death.
Now Harris, 30, and the 15-year-old teen face murder and first-degree child cruelty charges.
Authorities arrived at the Jonesboro home on Friday afternoon after receiving a call about a child who was struggling to breathe.
Jamal was then rushed to a local hospital, where he died 27 minutes later.
Second and third-degree burns were covering more than 40 percent of his body, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The boy also suffered brain swelling and had an 80-degree core temperature.
Clayton County Maj. Joe Woodall said it was one of the worst cases he had ever seen, according to WSBTV.
Harris was ordered to be held without bond on Wednesday for ‘willfully and intentionally’ depriving the 4-year-old boy.
But her brother is speaking up for her, saying Harris took in two children who had been abandoned by their parents months ago and was only trying to help them.
‘The sister said he needed to be in the bath because he peed on himself,’ Harris said of the 15-year-old.
‘She was telling (the girl) to take him out (of the bathtub)’.
Harris’ brother said she had been taking care of the boy and didn’t take him to the hospital at first because she wasn’t sure if the two children had insurance.
The 15-year-old was also ordered held without bond. Both she and Harris are in custody at Clayton County Jail.
