Mentally ill parents torture and kill 4-year-old girl by burning her in hot bath water
In a terrible tragedy in Michigan, a 4-year-old girl died after being tortured by her mother and the mother's boyfriend. The girl had been burned so badly that her big toe fell off and her melted skin was found in the bathtub.
Shocking details of toddler Gabby Barrett's death came to light after her 24-year-old mother, Candice Diaz, and the 28-year-old boyfriend, Brad Fields, were captured by the police on January 9th after being on the run from the law
Gabby died on New Year's Eve and there was a nationwide manhunt for the couple after they went on the run from the Sumpter Township. The pair were arrested about 792 miles away from their home in southern Georgia.
The medical examiner from Washtenaw County said that Gabby's death was the "worst child death case" that he had ever seen in his 30-year career as a doctor.
The Detroit Free Press obtained court documents which had the gruesome details of the child's injuries. The authorities said that they had found Gabby's melted skin in the drain of the bathtub and she was also missing a big toe due to the burns.
"Gabrielle had burns all over her body and bruising to her entire body," the document stated.
In the court documents, it was revealed that Diaz told police that Gabby had burned herself after running her own bath on New Year's Eve.
Diaz said that Gabby wanted to have another bath the next day so she left her daughter alone in the bathroom and went to the kitchen to make pancakes.
When the mother went back into the bathroom, Gabby was practically submerged in the water in the tub. She immediately called Fields for help.
The girl was found by authorities on New Year's Day inside the mobile home where she lived with her mother and Fields. The home was apparently littered with animal waste, guns, and drugs. Gabby was rushed to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital but she died later that day of her injuries.
After the couple was captured, they were both charged with felony, murder, second-degree murder, first-degree child abuse, and torture. The court documents revealed that both Diaz and Fields have "severe mental illnesses" which the pair has admitted to not treating.
Diaz claims that she has bipolar disorder, PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Fields said he has schizoaffective disorder, social anxiety, agoraphobia, and PTSD.
Gabby's stepsister has been taken into protective custody and the court had ruled that both Diaz and Fields cannot have any contact with the child.