This Oct. 14, 2017 photo made available by the Escambia County Sheriff鈥檚 Office in Florida, shows Veronica Green Posey under arrest. Posey is charged with killing her 9-year-old cousin by sitting on the child as punishment. Posey, who weighs 150 kilos, first punished the girl with a ruler and metal pipe before sitting on her for at least 10 minutes. ESCAMBRIA COUNTY SHERIFF鈥橲 OFFICE
PENSACOLA, Florida, United States 鈥� A 150-kilo Florida woman is charged with killing her 9-year-old cousin by sitting on the child as punishment.
Veronica Green Posey, 64, was arrested and charged with homicide and cruelty toward a child, The Pensacola 黑料社 Journal reported. The Escambia County Sheriff鈥檚 Office report identified Posey as the girl鈥檚 cousin.
Paramedics and deputies responded to the family鈥檚 Pensacola home following a 911 call Saturday. Posey told deputies she sat on Dericka Lindsay as discipline 鈥渇or being out of control.鈥�
During the punishment, Dericka told Posey and two other adult relatives, who are identified in the report as the girl鈥檚 parents, that she couldn鈥檛 breathe. When Posey got up, Dericka wasn鈥檛 breathing. Authorities said Posey called 911 and started CPR on the child.
The arrest report said Grace Joan Smith, 69, and James Edmund Smith, are charged with child neglect.
Grace Smith called Posey, who is her niece, to her house to help with disciplining the girl, according to the report. She told investigators that Posey hit the girl with a ruler and metal pipe before the child ran to an armchair.
James Smith told investigators that Posey sat on the girl for about 10 minutes before she complained she couldn鈥檛 breathe. She stayed on the chair for an additional two minutes before getting up, he said.
Mike Carroll, secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families, issued a statement that called the child鈥檚 death 鈥渁ppalling.鈥� He said the agency will work with the sheriff鈥檚 office to hold those responsible for her death accountable.
鈥淎s the family has a prior interaction with the child welfare system, a thorough quality assurance review will be conducted to review all prior interactions this family has had with the child welfare system,鈥� the statement said.
Posey was released Monday on $125,000 bail. The Smiths remained in jail, with Grace Smith鈥檚 bond set at $75,000 and James Smith鈥檚 bond at $50,000. Escambia County jail records didn鈥檛 list an attorney for Posey or the Smiths. /cbb