A grandmother and mother face child cruelty charges after the death of a 7-month-old boy.
On Feb. 9, Terri Hooks dropped her five children off at their grandmother Tracey Hooks' home in Washington, D.C., but their grandmother told Hooks she had to work an overnight shift, according to court documents. So the two women left the boy in the care of a 10-year-old sibling, investigators said.
When the 10-year-old tried to wake the baby the next day, he wouldn’t move. The 10-year-old called for help, but the 7-month-old died, police said.
An autopsy found pneumonia, sharing a bed with siblings and an unsafe sleep environment contributed to the death.
“The cruelty to children is with regards to how the children were left in the apartment at that time,” Assistant Police Chief Peter Newsham said.
In November, Terri Hooks, 28, texted an unidentified person that she was stressed out with her kids and wanted to give them up, police said.
The women turned themselves in Friday morning. They appeared in D.C. Superior Court and were released.
