A North Carolina mother is facing several charges for the death of her 4-year-old daughter Majelic Young, whose body was found months after her death.
Authorities made the tragic discovery after a concerned social worker contacted Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department because she hadn’t seen the little girl since August 2020. Search warrants obtained by WSOC-TV detailed what led to the end of Majelic’s short life.
The child’s 13-year-old sister told investigators her mother, Malikah Bennett, forced Majelic to stand in the laundry room as punishment for defecating on herself. She wasn’t allowed to sit down or leave the room for three days.
On the final day, Majelic collapsed and hit her head on the ground. Bennett reportedly performed CPR, but the girl eventually died. The teen told police Bennet washed her sister’s body, wrapped it in two trash bags and placed it in the back of an SUV at the home.
After five days, Bennett removed the body from the vehicle and forced her 13-year-old to help her bury Majelic in their backyard. The child’s body was discovered in May, about nine months after she died.
Bennett is charged with first-degree murder, felony concealing a death and felony child abuse inflicting personal injury, reported WCNC. Tammy Taylor Moffett, her mother, is charged with concealing a death and accessory after the fact to murder.
“I’ve worked homicide for most of the last 10 years. I can tell you that this case is deeply disturbing. It’s disturbing to everyone who’s worked it,” Lt. Bryan Crum said in a recent news conference. “Many of us are parents, and it’s very difficult to understand how someone could do this to their child, kill their child and bury them and move on with their life as if nothing happened.”
Bennett had pending misdemeanor child abuse charges before her arrest because she left her 9 and 7-year-old children home alone for more than 24 hours.
