Background: Tameria Barnett appears in court (KHOU/YouTube). Inset: Tameria Barnett (Harris County Sheriff’s Office).
A Texas woman was charged with injury to a child after she allegedly inflicted “life-threatening” injuries to a 4-year-old she was caring for.
Tameria Barnett, aged 30, was able to secure her release from Harris County Jail in Houston by posting her $100,000 bond. Meanwhile, the young girl she is accused of causing harm to remains in critical condition in the hospital. The child, who is the daughter of a friend of Barnett’s currently incarcerated, had suffered severe injuries prompting a hospital visit on November 26. The medical staff classified her injuries as life-threatening and noted signs of previous abuse, suggesting she had been subject to daily beatings for months.
Upon receiving the call from the hospital, the authorities launched an investigation, as confirmed by Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez’s official post on social media platform X. Gonzalez also revealed that the girl was swiftly transferred to Texas Children’s Hospital due to the seriousness of her condition. The nature of the injuries led the homicide detectives to delve into the case to uncover the truth behind the distressing situation.
Following the investigation, Barnett was taken into custody on November 29 and charged with injury to a child. During her court hearing, Barnett reportedly confessed to physically abusing the girl using her hands and a belt on multiple occasions. The local CBS affiliate KHOU reported the details of Barnett’s admission, shedding light on the brutality inflicted upon the young victim.
— Barnett had been caring for the girl since September 2024, when the girl’s mother was incarcerated.
Barnett was released from Harris County Jail after making her $100,000 bond. Her next court appearance is Dec. 2.
More from Law&Crime: ‘You’re fine and you’re weak’: Veteran suffering from PTSD knocks out wife’s daughter after she refuses to clean her room, cops say
