3-year-old girl dies after her grandmother beat her with a large wooden stick just because the child wouldn’t listen and then left her on a bed for days for someone else to find her; grandma arrested
Pennsylvania – In a disturbing incident that has shaken Pennsylvania residents, a grandmother stands accused of causing the death of her 3-year-old granddaughter over the Labor Day weekend. The 56-year-old grandmother, identified as D. Johnson, was arrested after beating the young child to death and charged with homicide, aggravated assault, abuse of a corpse, endangering the welfare of a minor, and corruption of a minor.
On Sunday, September 1, at around 11:30 a.m., emergency services were called to Johnson’s apartment, where they found the 3-year-old girl, identified as Ayla, unresponsive, covered in marks and other injuries all over her body that spoke volumes of the horrors she endured. Despite the efforts of the first responders, Ayla was pronounced dead shortly after their arrival.
The charges against Johnson stem from a grim scene described by investigators. The toddler’s body showed signs of severe physical abuse, including scratches, dark blue marks, and injuries consistent with a cigarette burn. Ayla was found wearing only tights and a t-shirt, lying on a blood-stained mattress. According to police and court documents, Ayla had been living with her grandmother for approximately a month and a half, a period that tragically coincided with the age of the wounds found on her body. The apartment where she stayed with Johnson displayed signs of neglect and violence, with a broken bedroom door, holes in the walls, and no electricity.
Johnson admitted to investigators that she had beaten Ayla with a large wooden stick and other items around the apartment two days before the child’s death. She also confessed to striking Ayla twice in the face, causing her to fall backward and hit her head hard on a table. After falling on the table, the 3-year-old girl started bleeding profusely. After the fatal blow, Johnson allegedly placed Ayla in a bathtub, turned on the water, and left the room, only to return and find the child submerged but still breathing. She removed Ayla from the water, dried her off, and placed her on the mattress, where she would eventually die. Throughout this ordeal, Johnson was too frightened to seek medical help or contact authorities, leading her to leave Ayla unattended for days.
Other children in the home witnessed the assaults, with one child recounting how Johnson continued to beat Ayla even after she was unable to move. The young victim’s mother, Regina, who had temporarily left Ayla in Johnson’s care while she sought new living arrangements, was unaware of the ongoing abuse. The discovery of Ayla’s body was made by family members. They were met with a chilling admission from Johnson, who expressed her fear of contacting the police. She told them she was too scared to call 911 and intentionally left the 3-year-old girl on the bed for someone else to find her.
Johnson now faces severe legal repercussions for her actions. Held without bail at the Allegheny County Jail, she awaits a preliminary hearing scheduled for September 13. The charges include the most serious of allegations, pointing to a deeply troubling case of child abuse and murder within a family. Ayla’s mom, wrote the following on social media:
