A woman has been charged with beating her 5-year-old stepdaughter to death Thursday at their South Chicago neighborhood apartment.
Lisamarie Villasana, 27, was ordered held without bond on Saturday for the alleged attack that left Verna Tobicoe dead of blunt force trauma, according to Chicago Police, the Cook County medical examiner’s office and court records.
Emergency crews were called at about 12:15 p.m. to their home in the 8300 block of South Brandon. When they arrived, they found the girl unresponsive, and she was taken to South Shore Hospital where she later died, authorities said.
An autopsy Friday determined she died from internal injuries from multiple impacts, and her death was ruled a homicide.
An Illinois Department of Children and Family Services spokeswoman said on Friday that Verna’s father and stepmother were under investigation for allegations of abuse and neglect.
The department had prior contact with the family when a 2014 report indicated the girl’s biological mother for neglect, according to DCFS.
Villasana is scheduled to appear in court again Monday, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office.
