Background: The Ingham County Justice Complex in Mason, Michigan (Ingham County Sheriff's Office/YouTube). Insets (Clockwise from top left): Karloina Davis (Ingham County Sheriff's Office). Pierson Davis (Ingham County Sheriff's Office). Vincent Davis (Skipper Funeral Home).
A mother and father in Michigan are accused of abusing their 1-year-old son in their home until he died malnourished, cold, and stiff.
Karloina Davis, 30, and Pierson Davis, 29, have been charged with murder and two counts of first-degree child abuse in connection with the death of 1-year-old Vincent Davis, the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office announced in a press release. The charges were recently handed down, although the investigation dates back to the summer of 2024.
On the morning of Aug. 12, 2024, Karloina Davis called 911, reporting that she found her 22-month-old son face down and not breathing in his crib, Lansing CBS affiliate WLNS reported. She allegedly referred to Vincent in the past tense, and, when encouraged to try CPR, said he was "beyond help."
Authorities arrived at the home on the 5200 block of Plains Road in Aurelius Township, Michigan, to find the mother standing in her driveway with Vincent in her arms. According to court documents, the child's skin was "pulled tight over his face and skull," and he had a visible rib cage. He also had a "considerable" amount of feces in his diaper and a bruise on his right groin area that was "about the size of an orange."
Vincent was brought to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His cause of death was reportedly determined to be caregiver neglect with the manner of death listed as homicide.
When investigators made their way into the home, they are said to have found living quarters "not suitable" for children. Dried blood appeared to be on the walls, food rotted on the floor, and the home was generally dirty and cluttered, authorities said.
In an upstairs room, officers found a 4-year-old boy naked and wrapped in a blanket, according to WLNS. Identified as the couple's other son, he reportedly appeared "very weak," could not stand, and when his father picked him up, he began "crying uncontrollably."
One investigator reportedly found a computer screen with messages on it from a "Demon Pierson" and a "Golden Fate." One of the messages stated, "I was just holding him and taking stuff out of his mouth, he has no heartbeat, no breathing," while two others read, "What stuff was in his mouth?" and "I think pieces of his bed."
Karloina Davis allegedly told investigators that she found her son face down and motionless earlier that morning and when she grabbed him, he had pieces of foam "in his mouth back to his throat." Pierson Davis's mother later said that her son had called her — before calling 911 — and told her that Vincent was not breathing.
The couple appeared in court on Wednesday. Karloina Davis' bond was set at $20 million and Pierson Davis' was set at $10 million, Ingham County jail records show. They are due back in court on March 31.
Vincent's obituary remembers him as "a joyful little boy who touched the lives of everyone around him."
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