CINCINNATI – In court Thursday, a Hamilton County prosecutor confirmed that Britney Roll Mayes, the woman charged with murder in the death of her 4-year-old daughter, is seven months pregnant.
Avery Lee Hobbs was killed by blunt force trauma to the head, Hamilton County Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco said in a press release Thursday. The girl was found unresponsive in a bathtub almost two weeks ago.
Mayes, 24, was charged with murder Wednesday and arraigned Thursday morning. She was given a $2 million bond.
Britney (Roll) Mayes
Avery's grandparents told WCPO they had tried to win custody of the girl after her mother served six months for child endangerment. They said not enough had been done to protect the child.
First responders found Avery in a bathroom in her home on Beech Avenue in West Price Hill on July 29. She died at Children’s Hospital Medical Center three days later. The coroner ruled her death a homicide on Aug 5.
"This could've been stopped," Risen told WCPO after Avery died. "This could've been prevented if people would've listened."
According to data from the Hamilton County Department of Health, six percent of child fatalities in the county since 2010 have been homicides. Of those homicides, only 34 percent of the victims are female and 24 percent of victims are between ages one and four.
According to health department statistics, one child homicide occurs in Hamilton County every 45 days, with most homicides resulting from teen-on-teen crime. The health department said 93 percent of child homicides between 2010 and 2014 in Hamilton County could have been prevented.
