A Florida woman, who told police she weighs 325 lbs., has been charged with killing her 9-year-old cousin after sitting on her as punishment.
Veronica Green Posey, 64, claims that she sat on the young girl, Dericka Lindsay, as a form of discipline because she was “being out of control.” The police report states that over the course of the punishment, Lindsay told the adults that she could not breathe.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Up Next: Colorado Woman Arrested for Trying to Shoot Squirrel With Pellet Gun
Posey called 911 and started CPR after standing up and discovering that the child was unresponsive.
The Pensacola News Journal reports that paramedics were called to the home at 1:35 p.m. on Monday afternoon. Posey told the paramedics that the victim was in cardiac arrest. When the emergency responders arrived, Lindsay was found unresponsive.
She was rushed to the Baptist hospital but died due to her injuries.
According to records with the Escambia County Jail, Posey has also been charged with cruelty toward a child. On Monday, Posey was released from jail after posting a $125,000 bond.
Along with Posey, two other adults, Grace Joan Smith, 69, and James Edmund Smith, 62, were arrested and charged with child neglect for failing to report the abuse. Grace was also charged with cruelty toward a child.
More: Man Arrested After Setting Two Police Officers on Fire
The Smiths are labeled as Dericka’s parents.
In James Smith’s arrest report, he told the police that Posey sat on Lindsay in an armchair for about 10 minutes before the girl complained that she could not breathe. He continued by saying that Posey sat on Lindsay for about two minutes longer before realizing that the child was unresponsive.
The secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families, Mike Carroll, explained that the family has had previous interaction’s with the state’s child welfare system.
“Dericka’s death is appalling and DCF will continue coordinating with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office to hold anyone responsible for her death accountable,” Carroll’s statement to the Pensacola News Journal read.
“As the family has a prior interaction with the child welfare system, a thorough quality assurance review will be conducted to review all prior interactions this family has had with the child welfare system,” he continued.
Grace Smith’s bond was set at $75,000 and James Smith’s bond was set at $50,000. Records show that the two were both still in jail at the time the report was published.
