Couple indicted for killing their 2-year-old daughter after she died of starvation and savage beatings

The Ohio parents of a 2-year-old child who authorities say was beaten and starved to death were indicted on aggravated murder charges Wednesday.

Hamilton County's prosecutor said that the grand jury also indicted Andrea Bradley, 28, and Glen Bates, 32, on murder and child endangering charges in Glenara Bates' death.

Prosecutor Joe Deters says the parents, both of Cincinnati, could face the death penalty if convicted of all the charges

Deters' statement says Bradley took her baby daughter to a hospital March 29 where the girl was pronounced dead.

The child had been badly beaten and had bruises, belt marks and bite marks, he said. The child also had injury to her head and broken teeth, and injuries had been inflicted over an extended period of time.

According to the prosecutors, at the time of her death Glenara weighted only 13lbs - the average weight of a 3 or 4-month-old infant. 

Hamilton County Coroner Lakshmi Kode Sammarco, who performed the autopsy on Glenara, described it as the worst case of starvation she's ever witnessed in her career.

'There is no doubt in my mind this child was tortured for the majority of her pitifully short life,' Sammarco said.

She recalled that it took a team of pathologists more than four hours to document all of the toddler's many injuries and scars. 

‘The abuse this baby suffered is beyond belief,’ Deters said. 'If they [parents] get executed, God bless them, I’d like to see it.'

The prosecutor said Bradley had seven children and is expecting her eighth child in July. Five of the other children — ages 1, 4, 5, 7 and 8 — were living with Bradley. Glenara had been taken away from the family after being diagnosed with malnutrition, but child services returned the girl to the mother just weeks before her death.

Deters said that in her final days, the toddler ate and slept in a bathtub filled with feces and blood.

'You wouldn't treat your dog like this,' he said, 

The parents are now in the custody of the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services. None of the other children showed current signs of abuse, Deters said.

He said an older child lives with paternal relatives.

The indictments come on the same day that child-welfare workers across Ohio are promoting awareness and prevention of child abuse and in the wake of a high-profile Cincinnati case involving a 3-month-old infant's decapitation.

That child's mother, Deasia Watkins, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated murder. 

Last week, Bradley’s sister, Desana Townsend, told the station WCPO that the 28-year-old mother of eight tortured her daughter.

Investigators say Glenara's parents dropped her from 6 feet about ground, and her mother then tried to close up her head wound at home with a needle and thread.

Calling her sibling 'heartless,' Ms Townsend said Bradley did not deserve to have her kids.

Detective Eric Karaguless said during a preliminary hearing that the couple admitted to the abuse, which lasted more than three weeks.

Bradley allegedly told detectives during questioning that she had whipped the toddler with a belt and failed to seek medical help for her after Glenara was dropped on her head.

The mother of eight has a documented history of child abuse dating back to 2007, according to documents.

On Wednesday, Job and Family Services Director Moira Weir publicly acknowledged that her agency mishandled Glenara's case.

'We cannot comment publicly on the specifics of this case, but I will say a preliminary review shows we failed to follow our own policies and procedures in this case,' she stated.

Credit: Dailymail