Yorkville, NY - A 13-year-old babysitter was charged with manslaughter in the death of a 2½-year-old girl Saturday in the Oneida County village of Yorkville, authorities said. The toddler, Melissa Calhoun, was found dead by her mother about 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning, said Oneida County Coroner Steven Wolanin. The 13-year-old had been watching the child alone overnight, he said. The...
Yorkville, NY - A 13-year-old babysitter was charged with manslaughter in the death of a 2½-year-old girl Saturday in the Oneida County village of Yorkville, authorities said.
The toddler, Melissa Calhoun, was found dead by her mother about 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning, said Oneida County Coroner Steven Wolanin. The 13-year-old had been watching the child alone overnight, he said.
The babysitter was charged with second-degree manslaughter and sent to a juvenile facility, state police said. The case will be handled in Family Court, troopers said.
The toddler died of blunt-force trauma to the back of her head, Wolanin said. The assault caused bleeding inside her head that led to her death. She appeared to have died hours before the mother came home, he said, but was officially pronounced dead about 9 a.m. Saturday. Wolanin wasn’t sure where the mother was during the night.
Authorities aren’t sure how the toddler’s injuries occurred, but Wolanin said he didn’t think a weapon would have had to been used.
Contact Douglass Dowty at ddowty@syracuse.com or 470-6070.