A New Jersey mother and her husband have been charged with murder after allegedly telling police that their nine-year-old daughter had been hit by a car, prosecutors said.
India Miller, 27, and Sean Scott, 45, contacted 911 last Tuesday from their home in Paulsboro and reported that Maya Thomas had been struck by a vehicle.
The Gloucester County Prosecutor Andrew B. Johns’ office said Scott claimed Maya had been walking the family dog when the alleged collision occurred.
Miller reportedly told investigators that she heard a screech outside before discovering Maya near a shed on the property.
Maya was taken to a hospital, where doctors determined that her injuries did not match those typically caused by a vehicle crash. She died later that night, according to prosecutors.
Investigators also reviewed surveillance footage from the area and found no vehicles passing the home around the time of the alleged incident, prosecutors said.
Police were also told by Maya’s four-year-old sibling that Scott had struck her in the eyes and face.
An autopsy determined that Maya died from multiple blunt-force injuries and classified her death as a homicide. The examination revealed a number of serious injuries, prosecutors said.
Maya Thomas was taken to hospital last week and later died
Miller allegedly said she heard a screech before finding Maya near a shed on the property, shown here
Officials said both of Maya’s eyes showed signs of blunt-force trauma, with her left eye swollen shut. Investigators also documented abrasions on her inner thigh and intimate areas, a ruptured colon and several broken ribs.
Some of the injuries were at different stages of healing, which prosecutors said indicated possible “prolonged abuse.”
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A search of the residence allegedly uncovered children’s clothing that was wet and stained with blood inside a bathtub.
Investigators also reported finding blood on the tiles around the bathtub, along with several cleaning products.
The prosecutor’s office said Miller and Scott each face first-degree murder, first-degree accomplice to murder, two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, fourth-degree making a fictitious report to police and fourth-degree hindering prosecution. Both are being held at Salem County Jail.
Officials are also investigating allegations that Maya may have been sexually abused, NJ.com reported.
A spokesperson for New Jersey’s Division of Child Protection and Permanency told the outlet that an investigation was launched after hospital staff identified injuries around Maya’s vaginal area.
Officials said the pair face charges including murder, child endangerment, filing a fictitious police report and hindering prosecution
Prosecutors said injuries found on Maya were at different stages of healing, suggesting “prolonged abuse”
Maya’s maternal grandmother, Lynn Miller, told NJ.com that she raised the child in Las Vegas until Maya was seven. She said her daughter later moved to New Jersey to live with Scott.
Not long after making the move, Lynn said her daughter cut off all communication and homeschooled Maya.
She claimed: ‘They homeschooled her because they didn’t want anybody to see the bruises.’
Miller and Scott are being held inside the Salem County Jail, they appeared for a hearing via video on Thursday and are due back in court later this month.