Paige Nichole Bohne (WNDU).
Authorities at first arrested a Michigan mother for involuntary manslaughter in her 2-year-old daughter’s death, but they are now charging her with open murder, according to news outlets in Sturgis Township.
Paige Nichole Bohne, 21, was denied bond at a hearing, reported Kalamazoo ABC affiliate WWMT.
“I wish she would’ve sought out help before this would’ve happened,” said Thomas James, a resident of the Memory Lane Trailer Park where Bohne lived with her child. “There’s a lot of people she could’ve resolved to before this would’ve happened.”
St. Joseph County deputies and other first responders arrived at the trailer park regarding calls of an unresponsive child on Thursday at about 12:45 p.m., according to The Strugis Journal.
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They tried to resuscitate her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
“The loss of someone is always difficult, but the loss of a child is especially tragic, and it impacts the whole community,” St. Joseph County Undersheriff Jason Bingaman said.
The child’s aunt, who requested anonymity, described helping take care of the child, named Octavia, according to CBS and Fox South Bend affiliate WSBT.
“My youngest daughter and Octavia were four months apart, and my kids are always, they call her ‘Bactavia,”” she reportedly said. “My son would always (say) Bactavia. ‘When is Bactavia gonna come here?’ My oldest daughter, Octavia would always go up to her with a smile and always wanting her to carry her around.”
She said she last saw Octavia on the weekend before Halloween for trunk-or-treating. The child went as a bumblebee.
“Octavia deserved more. I know there [were] many, many people that loved Octavia, and all her mom had to do was reach out to one of us,” the aunt said. “Anybody would have helped in the need instead of what had happened to her.”
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