MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FL. (THECOUNT) — Jellisa Amoya Baxter has been identified as the 24-year-old mother accused of fatally stabbing her 3-year-old daughter after attempts to strangle the girl were unsuccessful.
Baxter, 24, was arrested and placed on “hold for immigration,” after police say she admitted to stabbing her 3-year-old daughter to death inside of their Miami Beach apartment on Tuesday. Baxter confessed to stabbing the toddler in the neck, chest and face.
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According to reports, a North Miami Beach Police Department dispatcher received a call on December 27th around 2 a.m. “regarding a child that had been stabbed and killed by the mother.” When police arrived in the 1000 block of Northeast 163rd Street in Miami, police found a young child suffering from apparent “deep” stab wounds.
The child was pronounced dead at the scene.
Baxter was charged with one count each of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse resulting in great bodily harm.
Via case affidavit:
“Upon the call back of the NMBPD dispatcher on a recorded line, she made contact with [the defendant] who identified herself as [the defendant], Jellisa Baxter,” the affidavit states. “When asked what happened, Jellisa stated she had killed her 3-year-old daughter. When asked how she killed her daughter, [the defendant] replied she strangled her at first, but when that didn’t work she stabbed her in the chest and neck.”
“NMBPD officers also observed the body of a small Black female laying on the ground with several deep stab wounds to her chest, neck, and face,” the affidavit states. “The child was deceased upon police arrival.”
Baxter was processed and transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center where she is currently being held without bond, jail records show. Those records further show that Baxter was marked as a “hold for immigration,” with the bond in that case yet to be set, according to LawAndOrder.
An immigration hold is placed on an individual who has been arrested for a criminal charge and is taken to jail. ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement) checks the list of inmates in the jail on a regular basis. When they see that an inmate is deportable they contact the jail and place a hold on the inmate. An immigration hold may be placed on a person who is in the United States illegally because he/she entered the US without inspection or overstayed a visa, according to hg.
Several neighbors said Baxter had been “going through a hard time financially” and claimed that her water had been turned off recently.
According to records, Baxter had recently relocated to Florida from The Bronx, New York.
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Geo quick facts: Miami-Dade County is located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. According to a 2019 census report, the county had a population of 2,716,940, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in the United States – Wikipedia.