A three-year-old girl was beaten to death by two boys after her evil mother had left eight children home alone to go gambling.
Blessing Buckles and seven other children, aged between 11 months and 12 years, were left unattended when her mum Dineshia Yates and her friend Terica Scott went to a casino. Blessing was allegedly attacked by the boys; Scott’s 10-year-old son and her 12-year-old nephew and suffered a bleed to the brain.
Yates, 27, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and cruelty to juveniles. The mum, who has a history of theft, was jailed on Thursday for just 18 months. Scott denies the same charges and is expected to attend court on May 5. The two boys have been charged with one count each of battery and second-degree murder.
Blessing died on February 14 last year, two days after the alleged attack. She had a bleed to the brain and bruises to her face, likely to have been caused by blunt force trauma, authorities said.
A child made the call to emergency services when Blessing became injured at the home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on February 12. Police found there were no adults at the address and, after Scott and Yates pulled up in the driveway some time later, the mums admitted being at the casino and were detained.
Scott also told police she was aware her nephew had a history of violence towards other children. Yates said she had seen bruises on at least one of her daughters after they were left alone with the boy but she “ignored her children’s pleas for help,” according to arrest records seen by WAFB.
At the time of the incident, Yates and her children had been staying with Scott and her family, and they admitted to police that they regularly left all eight juveniles – including a baby – home alone to go gambling. The pair are close friends, reports local media.
The court heard on Thursday details about Yates’ criminal history. Her theft convictions relate to stealing clothes from a Walmart and belongings from a home in 2017. She also reportedly launched a brick through the windshield of another woman’s car in 2020.
Speaking after Yates’ sentencing, Sheriff Sid Gautreaux, of East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, said: “A case like this is devastating. My heart breaks for this child lost too soon, and I pray for the others involved. Please call law enforcement immediately if you are ever aware of abuse, neglect or desertion of children.” Scott will appear in court next month.
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