New details are emerging about the case of a mother who’s suspected of killing her five-year-old child by locking her up in a hot bedroom.
Last Thursday, 23-year-old Kemaya Taylor, of Las Vegas, was charged with murder and two counts of child abuse at a hearing she refused to attend, per a report from KTNV Las Vegas.
Police say a five-year-old, as well as her two-year-old sister who’s since been taken to Child Protective Services, were found locked inside a bedroom in Taylor’s sweltering home. Neighbors and a friend also told police that Taylor had been acting oddly shortly before her arrest.
Police say that friend grew concerned when she got a text she interpreted as a vague suicidal threat. That message reportedly included Taylor saying she was quitting her job, and to “watch out” for her on the news. A request for a welfare check by that friend took place on June 16. On that date officers were unable to locate Taylor or her children at their home.
Less than two weeks later, on June 28, two officers were able to contact Taylor. They reported that the home was in “complete disarray” and that Taylor “was suffering from some sort of mental illness.” Taylor was taken into custody and a search led to the discovery of a locked bedroom upstairs. The door was kicked open and two young girls were found. The youngest girl was standing next to the bed while the five-year-old was on it, unresponsive. An officer unsuccessfully tried to revive the older child using CPR. She was pronounced dead after medical personnel arrived.
A report said the house had no air conditioning, but it’s not clear if it was disconnected or turned off. The report added that “the temperature in the bedroom felt exponentially warmer than the rest of the residence.” The home’s thermostat reported it was 95 degrees, but the temperature in the bedroom hit 101. The high temperature outdoors that day was 106.
While in the backseat of the officers’ patrol car, Taylor is alleged to have uttered things like “it was a necessary sacrifice,” while insisting she be taken to the “insane asylum.” Neighbors say they previously overheard her say “I killed it,” and also that she said she was “the son of Jacob.”
Even more alarming behavior came two days before she was arrested. At one point it was claimed that she sat in the driveway in her car with her kids wrapped in blankets when it was hot. She was also seen throwing rocks at vehicles, walking around the neighborhood with a blender and a bat, and breaking the window of a truck with a kitchen appliance.
Her family said that she hadn’t reached out and very strongly insists they would have helped her if she had asked for aid.
She is expected in court on Thursday, July 15.