GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Arrest warrants allege that a Gwinnett County stepmother, now charged with murder in the death of her 8-year-old stepdaughter, beat the child with a wooden rolling pin.
Natiela Barros, 34, faces charges including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and first-degree child cruelty in the death of the girl on Tuesday.
The warrants allege Barros violently assaulted the girl "while angry," striking her with the rolling pin 10-20 times. The warrants accuse Barros of hitting her in multiple areas, including the neck, and then "refusing to get her medical care," which "resulted in her death."
A spokesperson with the Gwinnett County Police Department said Tuesday that there was an 8-year-old and a woman at a home on Vine Springs Trace in Bethlehem when the child suffered a medical emergency. The woman called the child's father, to whom Barros is married, who arrived and found the 8-year-old unresponsive. He then called 911 and performed CPR.
When emergency medical services arrived, the child was pronounced dead on scene, officials said.
The Gwinnett County Police Homicide Unit and the medical examiner's office are examining the death.
"Details surrounding the criminal investigation are confidential," in accordance with Georgia law concerning child abuse cases, Gwinnett Police said.
Barros made her first appearance in court Wednesday morning. Defendants with murder charges are not eligible for bond at such proceedings.
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