17-month-old toddler dies after being sexually assaulted at motel and left with punctured lungs, fractured ribs
Law enforcement officials in Richmond are currently investigating the death of a toddler at a motel near Midlothian Turnpike last week. The child, 17-month-old Nariah Brown, succumbed to her injuries on Friday after she was sexually assaulted on May 8, according to an NBC 12 report.
Aija Brown, the tot's mother, was giving a relative a ride when she left little Nariah with her year-long boyfriend — someone she'd known and trusted since fourth grade — in their motel room at the Colony House Motor Lodge. "I said, 'baby, I love you'... and I’m going to let you go with him... and I'll be right back," Brown recalled.
When Brown returned, she found that her baby had been brutally assaulted. The embattled mother immediately rushed Nariah to the hospital with severe multiple injuries, including punctured lungs and fractured ribs. "I was in panic mode, disgusted, in total shock... that anything happened to her," she said.
The innocent toddler took her final breaths on Friday, May 10, at the VCU Medical Center. Doctors told her mother that there was no way she could have recovered from the vicious attack. "I love my daughter...but I just want parents, anybody... keep your children close," Brown said.
As of now, a person of interest has been taken into custody. However, charges against the suspect are yet to announced.
A vigil for little Nariah was held at Forest Hill Park at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14, where her mother told reporters "all I can see is her," according to a post on Bury the Violence's Facebook page.
"You can't leave your babies with just anybody," she continued. "The things that happened to my daughter, I would never wish on anybody. Don't ignore it. When I held my daughter in my arms for the last time, I said, 'baby, I love you and I’m going to let you go with him.' I’ll be right behind you. I’ll be up there, and I’m going to hold you again."
Nariah's family is hoping for donations to help with the funeral service, which is scheduled for Sunday, May 19, at 2 pm at Mimms Funeral Home in South Richmond. A GoFundMe page has been set up for the same.
"Nariah was an outgoing, happy and loving baby, [whose] life was snatched away from a mother, grandmother, grandfather, aunts, uncles, and a host of family who loved her deeply," the page reads. "She had plenty of different loving personalities and loved to dance. She suffered a tremendous amount of injuries that called her home to be with the Lord. MCV did everything in their power to try and save her. Nariah Ivy Brown will be truly missed. Please continue to keep her family in your prayers during this incredibly tragic time."
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective D. Longoria at (804) 646-6759 or Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.
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