Harrisburg man charged with murder of daughter, 5, after police find horrific injuries on child's body
If you or anyone you know suspects child abuse, you are urged to immediately call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential and the hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA: A Harrisburg man, initially charged with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of his five-year-old daughter, has now been charged with the murder of the child after an autopsy revealed brain injuries and vaginal bruising, among other injuries on her body.
The autopsy, completed on Thursday, September 29, revealed multiple internal injuries on the girl’s body and gave the cause of death as multiple traumatic injuries. Her father, Gregory E Woods Jr, 25, was initially arrested by the police on Tuesday, September 27, after he told the investigators that he found his daughter on the floor in an unconscious state.
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As per a statement by Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office, Woods, who had sole custody of his daughter, called his mother after finding his daughter on the floor and asked her to come to his apartment as he had to leave for an interview. Upon her arrival, she rushed the child to UPMC Harrisburg Hospital, where she was pronounced dead just before noon. The doctors at the hospital found multiple cuts and bruises on the girl’s body and indicated that she was brutally abused, according to Penn Live.
According to court documents, the father told the investigators that his daughter, identified only as ‘MD’ fell out while watching a movie with him on Monday, September 26. He said that he informed her mother that she was a little dizzy as he gave her ibuprofen for cold sores on her lips. “I don’t even say a seizure, well, we haven’t been saying seizure because she’ll hear oh, ‘I’m having seizures and she’ll start doing stuff,'” he reportedly told police.
Woods added that the next day, MD was folding clothes in their room and Woods was taking shower when he heard a scary "thud". He rushed to their room where he found his daughter on the floor. He called his mother and informed her that “MD was acting out and falling out.” His mother told him to “focus on getting a job so he could pay the rent and other necessities.” She immediately arrived at his apartment and took MD to a nearby hospital.
After a while, Woods too arrived at the hospital but it was too late. Whe investigators tried to speak to Woods, he initially refused. When officers tried to force him, he stared pointedly at the officer’s handgun and asked him to tell him he didn’t “want to do down that route.” However, after a while, he agreed to talk and eventually got arrested.
The autopsy revealed hemorrhages to the brain stem, brain swelling microfractures to the skull, a “battle sign” bruise — a bruise that appears at the site of a bone fracture — to the right ear, a cut and tear on her upper lip, a jaw fracture, and broken teeth. The report stated that there were signs of strangulation on MD’s throat with horrific nail marks and damage to the Adam's apple.
The doctors also founbd vaginal bruising. “These repeated aggressive assaults were malicious and in total disregard for human life,” wrote Dr Wayne Ross, the forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy, noting that the injuries in the abdominal area were caused by “significant compressive force which would have compressed her internal organs against her spine.” Ross gave the cause of death as multiple traumatic injuries and the manner of death as a homicide. Before the autopsy, the injuries and bruises documented on the child's body were cuts to an eyebrow, cheek, lips, abdomen, and behind her left ear; and bruising to the left cheek, right forehead, right eye, bridge of the nose, chin, both arms, chest, neck, right leg, left hand, left up, upper middle and lower back, and buttocks.
Now, Woods is facing charges of Murder as well as a charge of strangulation. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Harrisburg Police, at 717-558-6900. Tips and information can also be submitted via the CRIMEWATCH website.