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2-year-old dies with ‘multiple bruises,’ Mississippi police say. Babysitter is charged

The owner of an in-home day care in Griffin, Georgia was arrested after an investigation into reports that multiple children were hurt while under her care, police said.
The owner of an in-home day care in Griffin, Georgia was arrested after an investigation into reports that multiple children were hurt while under her care, police said. Photo by Susan Holt Simpson via Unsplash

A Mississippi woman is charged with murder in the death of a 2-year-old boy she was babysitting, according to the Alcorn County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies were called to a home in Corinth around 9:10 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, for a report of an unresponsive child, the sheriff’s office said. Inside they found the toddler unconscious with “multiple bruises and marks” on his body.

Investigators at the scene also found an 11-month-old girl suffering from multiple injuries, according to authorities. Both kids, who were in the care of 23-year-old Makallie Durham, were taken to a hospital for treatment.

They were later transferred to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, where the 2-year-old died Sept. 15.

Durham was arrested on an unrelated misdemeanor warrant and later charged with capital murder in the toddler’s death, deputies said. She was also charged with felony child abuse in connection to the alleged assault on the girl.

Durham remains at the Alcorn County Jail and is awaiting a court appearance, according to the sheriff’s office.

Corinth is about 100 miles southeast of Memphis.

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This story was originally published September 16, 2022 at 7:32 AM with the headline "2-year-old dies with ‘multiple bruises,’ Mississippi police say. Babysitter is charged."

Tanasia Kenney
Sun Herald
Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.
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