UPDATE JUNE 1: The arrest report for Denaugio Scarlett has been released.
According to the report, Scarlett became upset with the 3-year-old girl because she was crying and screaming and forcefully grabbed her, squeezed her and threw her on the ground, causing her head to bounce off the floor
Scarlett says the child immediately stopped crying after he threw her down and when he checked on her later that night, she was not breathing. The girl’s mother was not at home at the time.
Scarlett reportedly told detectives, “I know I did this to her” and “It looks so vicious, I did that.”
The little girl died of blunt force injuries. Cuts were found on her chin and lips and bruising on her face, arms, abdomen and groin area.
ORIGINAL STORY
A Las Vegas valley mother is claiming her innocence to 13 Action News after her 3-year-old daughter was found dead inside her home.
"Putting all the blame on me, I was blind, just like you guys," said Malaysia Daniels.
She's feeling both pain and anger of the death over the death of her daughter Aaliyah Cameron.
RELATED: Vegas PD: 3-year-old girl killed, mother's boyfriend arrested
Daniels says she is receiving support, but also a backlash from the family of Aaliyah's father following her death.
"You're not even bashing the person who did it, but you're bashing me like I was at home," she said.
Police took 21-year-old Denaugio Scarlett into custody under suspicion of murder and child abuse.
The Clark County Coroner says the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries.
Daniels says she left Aaliyah with Scarlett while she went to work.
"I don't know what, I didn't think he was the type of person that had any anger," Daniels said. "I can't defend him; I hate him."
13 Action News obtained documents from the Clark County Department of Family Services that said in November of 2017, Aaliyah (daughter) was removed from Malaysia's care for protection amid allegations of abuse and neglect.
"Yes, she was placed with my child's father, she was placed with him, and I went through classes, and I went through everything," says Daniels.
Just last month, UMC Children's Hospital recorded a 29 percent increase in fatalities relating to child abuse in patients from 2017 to 2018.
Umc also says the number of abuse-related fatalities increased by 200 percent when compared to figures from 2016.
"We've created these resources for everyone to keep this problem in front of us, this is a health care problem that we all have to focus on," Dr. Jay Fisher said.
