John Jefferson
Inset top: Dijon Smith. Inset bottom: Kiya Moore (Shelby County Jail). Background: Memphis home where Smith and Moore allegedly killed a 1-year-old girl (WHBQ).
Two babysitters are facing murder charges after a 1-year-old girl in their care died from multiple skull fractures, brain bleed and abdominal trauma, authorities in Tennessee say.
Memphis police officers responded to LeBonheur Children’s Hospital around 3 a.m. Saturday after baby Kali Moore was suffering from cardiac arrest. The girl died an hour later. Doctors determined she had skull and neck fractures and “massive bruising” on her back, according to a probable cause arrest affidavit.
Cops detained Dijon Smith, 34, and Kiya Moore, 21, who began babysitting baby Kali around 5 p.m. Thursday, the affidavit said.
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After receiving their Miranda rights, Moore and Smith gave “conflicting statements” and blamed each other for the baby’s death, cops said. Moore allegedly told detectives she left Kali alone with Smith and when she returned the girl was “unresponsive.” She reportedly said he refused to tell her what happened and told her to say she fell asleep with the girl when she fell off the bed and hit her head on the nightstand.
Smith allegedly said he heard Kali crying in the backroom and Moore yelling at her.
“He then heard Moore slam Kali into the floor, walls and wooden furniture six to 10 times,” cops wrote. “He advised that he asked her what she was doing and she stated nothing but Kali was crying too much and getting on her nerves. He advised that when he entered the room Moore stopped and he observed Kali unresponsive.”
Smith then said he began CPR on Kali and put cold water on her. Moore called a family member to take the girl to the hospital.
An examination of the body revealed that in addition to the skull fractures Kali also suffered a brain bleed, bruised kidney, high enzymes in the liver consistent with abdominal trauma and blood in the lungs. Cops also searched the home in the 1000 block of University Street and noted there was no baby food and it wasn’t clear if Kali had a safe place to sleep.
The incident left neighbors upset.
“You said 1-year old?” neighbor Alvin Riley exclaimed to Memphis Fox affiliate WHBQ, adding that the little girl never “even got a chance to make it to the first grade.”
Said neighbor William Pegues: “It’s shocking. It’s really shocking.”
The TV station reported that family members said Moore is not Kali’s mother but is related. They declined to go into more details.
Moore and Smith are at the Shelby County Jail without bond on first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse charges.
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