Babysitter Faces Murder Charge in Death of 4-Year-Old Girl

The girl was visiting from Florida, family members said

A 53-year-old Los Angeles woman accused in the death of a 4-year-old girl she was babysitting was charged with murder, child abuse and assault on a child causing death, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Westlake district resident Vanessa Denise Hawkins Scott pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. She was being held on $1.1 million bail.

Prosecutors said Hawkins Scott was arrested last Friday after taking the unresponsive girl to Good Samaritan Hospital, where the child was pronounced dead.

The Los Angeles County coroner’s office said the girl died of blunt force trauma to the abdomen.

The girl, identified as Mya Migneault, and her mother were visiting from Florida, family members told NBC4.

The Los Angeles Police Department was investigating the case.

Hawkins Scott is set to return to court April 7 for a preliminary hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require her to stand trial.

If convicted, she faces up to life in prison, prosecutors said.

A Facebook page was set up to remember Migneault.

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