BALTIMORE — Baltimore police have charged two people in the death of their 15-year-old nephew.
The Baltimore Sun reports that Stefanie Colon and Dion Ball Sr. were arrested Friday and charged with child abuse resulting in death, manslaughter and neglect of a minor in the January death of Hezekiah Pettiford.
Officers responding to a child abuse report found Hezekiah unresponsive. He died two days later.
Charging documents state the teen’s death was ruled a homicide by blunt force trauma to the brain and his injuries were found to be “consistent with chronic child abuse.”
Colon and Ball said Hezekiah bumped his head and when they couldn’t wake him they called 911, but police say that’s inconsistent with the teen’s injuries.
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