BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — New details are emerging about the Brevard County foster mother charged with murder and child abuse in the death of a 4-year-old foster child.
Investigators said the child suffered severe abuse while in the woman’s care and ultimately died from her injuries.
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Lakeisha Mitchell, 41, sits behind bars in Titusville and is facing a first-degree murder charge and child abuse charges. Four-year-old Joy King Castro was found unresponsive in her care in late August and died.
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Mitchell told investigators that on Aug. 23, Castro was throwing a tantrum and told investigators often or during tantrums, Castro would pretend to be unconscious.
Mitchell said she put her in a filled bathtub to get her to stop. She then told officers she left the room and came back soon after to find the child slumped over unresponsive, her lips blue.
Castro was rushed to Parrish Medical Center then Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital, where she was soon declared brain-dead.
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The report detailed Castro’s injuries such as bruising above her left eye, swelling to the forehead and other trauma.
Investigators said Mitchell’s story and the injuries didn’t match.
Castro was placed in Mitchell’s care in the spring. Months prior, documents show a home study was completed in February to determine if Mitchell’s home was safe for children.
Mitchell told investigators she had concerns about “extreme behavioral issues” and she had been asking for help.
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