It’s been nine days since a woman was arrested and charged with abuse of the corpse of her deceased granddaughter in Cincinnati, Ohio.
42-year-old LaTonya Austin was arrested on May 8, according to court documents.
Around April 9 in the 2200 block of Schoedinger Avenue, Austin put her granddaughter’s body into multiple trash bags and then placed the trash bags in a cooler, according to the criminal complaint.
The granddaughter was 2-years-old, according to Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters. Her name and cause of death have not been released.
Police say it’s unclear if the child was dismembered or wrapped in multiple bags.
New documents obtained show that on May 8, police went to Austin’s house after receiving an anonymous phone call that there was a deceased child in the home.
The document says Austin put the blame on another child in the home, telling police that the child “shook and cut her up with scissors.”
The court documents also show she told police the girl had been dead for a month.
Austin had custody of her two children and her grandchildren. The remaining three children have been placed in temporary custody.
Prosecutors released the following statement:
“JFS has to operate quickly in these situations to ensure the safety of the other children in the home. Obviously, in the early stages of a homicide investigation, information is fluid and often changes. And I would caution the media and the community to take the information released today in that context. This is still a very active investigation, and when we have more information to release, we will do so.”
Austin remains behind bars on a $500,000 bond.
Cincinnati police have yet to provide comments on the case but did confirm it’s an active investigation.
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