PONTIAC, Mich. – An 18-year-old Pontiac woman will face a probable cause hearing Tuesday for homicide/manslaughter and child abuse charges in connection to the death of her 1-year-old cousin.
Young Samaria Chambers' death was ruled a homicide in September 2014 by the Wayne County Medical Examiner. She suffered second degree burns from the stomach down and later died from her injuries at Detroit Children's Hospital.
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The Oakland County Sheriff's Office said her cousin, Breeze Macha Henke, who was 17 at the time, was babysitting Samaria and several other children on July 26, 2014 when Samaria had to be rushed to the hospital with severe burns. Henke told police she started to draw a bath for Samaria but she was distracted. She said a 3-year-old child entered the bathroom and turned up the hot water dial.
However, after a lengthy investigation by the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, it was determined Henke allegedly became angry with Samaria because she soiled her diaper. She is accused of holding Samaria down under scalding water in the bath tub.
"Detectives were able to determine by testing that the bath water reached a temperature of 158 degrees in the tub within 10 seconds and held that temperature for almost one minute," according to a report from the Sheriff's Office. "The baby was burned from the stomach down. The burn expert at Detroit Children's Hospital stated that the baby's burns were consistent with her being held down in the bath tub."
Samaria died at the hospital on Aug. 9, 2014.
Henke is 18 now. She was arrested Thursday in Pontiac, more than a year since Samaria's death. She was arraigned Friday on charges of homicide/manslaughter and child abuse second degree. Her bond was set at $250,000 cash/surety.