Photo courtesy of the New York Post
An 8-year-old girl was found dead Wednesday morning in an Uptown Chicago apartment after her mother smothered her with a plastic bag on her 8th birthday, prosecutors said.
According to CBS Chicago, 38-year-old Andreal Hagler was charged with first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Amaria Osby.
Prosecutors said Hagler reportedly suffocated the young girl as she screamed, “Momma, stop!” because she believed her daughter didn’t love her anymore. Hagler’s brother went to her apartment on Wednesday to check on his sister and Amaria after she didn’t respond to his phone calls.
When he arrived, he found both of them unresponsive in one of the bedrooms. Prosecutors said he discovered a “comforter on the bed that was covering another body… two small legs from the shins down were visible.”
After the police arrived, they found Hagler lying on the bed, faced down, with a plastic bag over her head.
Authorities saw two tiny legs sticking out from under the comforter, discovering Amaria lying on the bed in her underwear with blood from her nose, around her mouth, and on her thigh, according to prosecutors. The 8-year-old girl was pronounced dead at the scene, and Hagler was transported to Weiss Memorial Hospital to be checked out.
An autopsy revealed that Amaria died from multiple injuries she sustained from an assault, including bleeding under her scalp, brain, and lesions from asphyxiation.
A toxicology report determined that Hagler had PCP in her system.
While in custody, Hagler admitted to drinking bleach and taking PCP the night before she smothered Amaria with a plastic bag.
“She said that she felt it was their time to go, because they were both born on the 24th,” prosecutors said in a court filing.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services said they had visited the residence for a domestic violence incident with the adults, but not the children. DCFS’ most recent visit was the same day Hagler suffocated Amaria and the day before she was found dead.
“No signs of abuse, neglect, or danger were noted by our investigator,” DCFS spokesman Bill McCaffrey said in an email. “This family previously participated in intact family services from a substance abuse-related incident in 2017. The recent visit was the result of an allegation of domestic violence and was the first contact with the family since closing the prior case in 2018.”
Hagler’s attorney said the woman is nearly comatose and under suicide watch. The 38-year-old was reportedly an occupational therapist for 17 years.
Hagler was denied bond on Friday.