The Denton Police Department announced Monday that investigators have arrested a woman for the alleged murder after her 3-year-old grandson was declared dead on Saturday.
On Tuesday, Jan. 18, CPS notified police of a severely injured child being treated at a local hospital, according to a Denton PD news release. The child’s grandmother, his legal guardian, told medical staff that the child had accidentally fallen down a flight of stairs, but she later confessed to investigators that that’s not what happened.
Angela Downing, 57, admitted to police that she forcefully threw the boy onto the bathroom floor and against a wall. He sustained a skull fracture, and suffered a brain bleed and brain swelling as a result. He was declared legally dead after doctors declared him brain dead on Saturday, according to police. Downing was booked into the Denton City Jail on a charge of murder on Monday afternoon.
“This is a tragic reminder of how devastating child abuse can be, and how the relationship between suspect and victim can vary,” the department said in a statement. “If you suspect or know of a child who is being abused, please call the Denton Police Department at (940) 349-8181, or the Children’s Advocacy Center for North Texas at (972) 317-2818. Please always call 911 in an emergency.”
