A Metro Detroit mother and her boyfriend were charged with murder, torture, and child abuse after the boyfriend allegedly continued to assault the child while the mother covered it up. On Tuesday, officials questioned why the two had custody of the child in the first place.
Brianna Simmons, 35, has been charged with murder, torture, and child abuse involving her three-year-old son.
“Her three-year-old child died in March of this year after multiple removals by CPS, and the child was returned to his mother, Miss Simmons, and the co-defendant, Mr. Michael Yharbrough, in this case,” revealed assistant Wayne County prosecutor Brittany Johnson in court.
“That boy would be removed again and again, each time with additional broken bones, which are only alleged to have happened after Miss Simmons allowed this individual to move into her home and stay in her home and continue assaulting her child.”
According to Wayne County prosecutors, 24-year-old Michael Yharbrough is not currently in custody but has been charged with murder, torture, and child abuse.
It is said that he is the one who actually wounded and killed the youngster. According to police, the incident occurred at their home on Rutherford on the city’s west side.
The youngster died on March 1.
Prosecutors claimed Simmons repeatedly ignored the abuse, going to five separate facilities to receive medical attention for her kid and concealing the origin of his injuries.
“She aided and abetted her co-defendant, and it led to this child’s ultimate death,” she said.
The magistrate ruled that she be kept without bond.
Prosecutors said her older children will testify in this case, but there are numerous issues for Children’s Protective Services (CPS) regarding why the boy was returned to his mother’s custody.
FOX 2 spoke with a therapist who has worked on instances similar to Simmons’.
The therapist stressed that if we truly want to safeguard these children, these caregivers require higher pay, more training, and fewer caseloads.
Meanwhile, attorney Jonathan Marko filed a lawsuit against CPS on behalf of the father of three-year-old Chayce Allen, who was discovered dead in his mother’s freezer in 2022.
Despite the abuse, CPS allegedly continued to return him to his mother.
“These are the people who are entrusted and tasked with protecting the most vulnerable children, many who are abused and neglected,” according to him. “This is not the type of job where you can just phone it in, because when you do, people get hurt and people can die.”