Left: Daisha Somers (Hocking County Sheriff’s Office). Right: Ka’myla Somers (GoFundMe).
In Ohio, a mother now faces murder charges following the horrific death of her 10-month-old daughter. Local authorities have accused Daisha Somers, 27, of brutally assaulting the infant, resulting in devastating injuries. The child, Ka’myla Somers, reportedly endured seven skull fractures, stomach bleeding, blood in her urine, retinal hemorrhages, multiple strokes, and prolonged cardiac arrest.
In a 2022 investigation, Somers attempted to convince police that Ka’myla had fallen from her toddler bed and hit her head. However, the injuries were deemed inconsistent with her account, as detailed in a press release from the Hocking County Sheriff’s Office following the child’s tragic passing.
Both Somers and her boyfriend, Jerry Johnson, claimed to have heard a loud “thud” before discovering Ka’myla unresponsive on the floor. Alarmingly, neither of them contacted emergency services immediately. Instead, they opted to transport the child to the hospital in their vehicle, but only several hours after the incident occurred, according to the sheriff’s office.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost disclosed on Friday that Somers is now facing multiple charges: murder, involuntary manslaughter, felonious assault, corrupting another with drugs, child endangerment, and aggravated drug possession, all linked to her daughter’s death. Although Johnson, who is not the biological father of Ka’myla, was initially charged with child endangerment alongside Somers, he has not been charged with murder.
The sheriff’s office revealed that Somers admitted to using methamphetamine, while Johnson confessed to smoking marijuana and being intoxicated following alcohol consumption. Johnson claimed he discovered the child unresponsive and not breathing while Somers was occupied with laundry at another location.
Upon reaching the hospital, Ka’myla was placed on life support, yet showed no signs of brain activity. Tragically, she was declared dead on November 23, 2022.
Somers was indicted last week by a Hocking County grand jury and taken into custody in West Virginia. She is currently being held without bond.
The original child endangerment charges against Somers and Johnson were dismissed in April 2023 while prosecutors sought an indictment by a grand jury for murder, according to The Logan Daily News. A special prosecutor was appointed to help with the case after local officials declared that it would take “an incredible amount of analysis, effort, and specialized expertise,” the newspaper reported.
Officials have said that the years-long delay was due to the investigation being “heavily reliant on forensic evidence, expert testimony, and medical information/opinion/analysis.” It was reported that prosecutors needed “more time for further investigation, data and evidence analysis, and confirmation of a variety of medical professional opinions,” according to the Daily News.
“Ka’Myla was 10 months old with a smile that would light up a room,” a GoFundMe said about the child in 2022, with the fundraiser being launched by her father’s sister.
“She was full of life and was learning to walk,” the description said. “She enjoyed watching cartoons and talking on the phone. Charles is heartbroken and is currently unable to work. Charles should be planning Ka’Myla’s 1st birthday in January, not his daughter’s funeral.”
