Teacher accused of beating 2-year-old to death in 2020 now charged, Georgia officials say
A Georgia teacher faces murder charges in the beating death of a 2-year-old boy, officials said.
Kianna Davis, 32, of Norcross was arrested Nov. 3 after investigators said she and another person hit Karter Ambrose with an unidentified object and didn’t seek medical attention for him, according to an indictment from the Houston County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said it happened between Nov. 15 and 17, 2020. The toddler had a lacerated liver and died from his injuries, according to the indictment.
Warner Robins police, with help from the U.S. Marshals Service and Houston County Sheriff’s Office, arrested Davis without incident, prosecutors said. She faces multiple charges including malice murder, felony murder and child cruelty.
Documents show she was indicted Oct. 17 alongside Kiyon Devoy Benton of Decatur. Prosecutors did not say how the two knew the child.
In a photo from her arrest, Davis is seen wearing a Seckinger High School sweatshirt, according to WSB-TV. The school is in Buford, Georgia, about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta.
Principal Jimmy Fisher confirmed Davis is a teacher there but has been away for about two weeks. He said she won’t be allowed on campus “while this situation remains unresolved.”
“Although this news may come as a surprise to you and spark questions, I want to reassure you your student is in good hands,” Fisher said in a letter to parents. “A substitute will continue to cover the duties of the teacher in question for the time being.”
Gwinnett County Public Schools has since launched its own investigation, according to the principal.
This story was originally published November 7, 2023 at 2:25 PM with the headline "Teacher accused of beating 2-year-old to death in 2020 now charged, Georgia officials say."