Left to right: Devorah Perez and Celso Edison Vicente Y Vicente (Canton Police Department).
A man and woman are behind bars in Georgia after authorities say a 2-year-old child was beaten to death and had a shoe print on his body when police found him.
Devorah Perez, 18, is charged with second-degree murder, two counts of second-degree cruelty to children, and three counts of reckless conduct, the Canton Police Department announced. Her charges come after Celso Edison Vicente Y Vicente, 22, was charged with malice murder and first-degree cruelty to children.
Police say that on Aug. 3 at about 11:30 a.m., they went to a home on the 300 block of Cartersville Street in Canton, Georgia. The city is located about 40 miles north of Atlanta.
Officers had gotten a report about an "unresponsive" 2-year-old boy. Authorities cared for the boy, and they brought him to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Vicente was identified as the "live-in boyfriend of the child's mother." He was arrested and charged, while Perez was not charged until Thursday.
According to warrants obtained by Atlanta NBC affiliate WXIA, Vicente was responsible for watching and caring for the boy on the day of his death. He allegedly hit the toddler and was "severely beating him with his hands and other unknown objects."
The child reportedly had bruises on his entire body, including one that looked like a shoe print, and he had a "fresh open laceration" on the top of his head.
"The death of a child is heartbreaking, and our detectives remain committed to conducting a thorough and professional investigation," said Canton Police Chief Marty Ferrell. "We appreciate the continued assistance of our law enforcement and criminal justice partners as we work to protect the integrity of this case and allow the judicial process to move forward."
Police said the investigation is ongoing.
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