A man in Pennsylvania, 33 years old, is suspected of killing his fiancée’s 2-year-old daughter by beating her to death and not letting her mother get medical help.
Tuesday, Emmanuel Thomas Dennis was arrested and charged with one count of criminal homicide, one count of aggravated attack, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child in connection with the brutal death of Margaret Nunn.
Fayette County Coroner Dr. Bob Baker said that his office was called to Uniontown Hospital on Monday at 12:05 p.m. to report the death of a 2-year-old girl who was later named Margaret. At the hospital, they said she was dead.
A news release from the Fayette County District Attorney’s Office said that after an initial review into the case, it was found that Margaret died because of “serious physical abuse at the hands of the
A probable cause document that Pittsburgh CBS affiliate KDKA got gave more information about the charges against Dennis.
The report says that on Monday afternoon, emergency workers called the Pennsylvania State Police to an apartment complex in the 300 block of Village of Searights in Uniontown because they were treating a 2-year-old who wasn’t responding at one of the units. It is just over 300 miles northwest of Philadelphia to get to the building.
The Herald-Standard reported that Margaret was found face down with what looked like dried vomit around her mouth. She also looked like she had a lot of cuts and bruises all over her body.
Dennis, who told police he was engaged to Margaret’s mother, is said to have admitted to abusing Margaret while being questioned by them. He told them the child was going through the “terrible twos.” According to the Herald-Standard, he said that he kicked Margaret across an upstairs hallway.
Dennis also said Margaret had hit her head on the ground at least six times over the weekend.
Investigators said that one very strange thing about the interview stood out to them: Dennis kept calling Margaret “it” multiple times during the talk.
Police say that Margaret’s mother told them that she had seen Dennis physically abuse Margaret over the past four days. She said he once grabbed the girl by the arm and dragged her to her room, where he hit her over and over until she passed out.
Margaret’s mother said she wanted to take her to the hospital, but Dennis wouldn’t let her because he was afraid that Children and Youth Services would look into her claim.
He was taken to the Fayette County Jail and is being held without bond. He is currently set to go to court on November 5 for a preliminary hearing.
