Badara Kone (Delaware State Police).
In a tragic incident in Delaware, a 10-year-old girl named Fatima Kone was brutally beaten by her father, leading to her untimely death. Her brothers, ages 15 and 11, carried her to bed after she was severely injured, according to police reports. The attack was so violent that Fatima fell and struck her head on a piece of furniture, a blow that ultimately proved fatal.
Details from a Delaware State Police press release outline the horrific events. After the assault, Fatima’s siblings assisted her to her bedroom, but it was some time before anyone dialed 9-1-1. This delay left her unattended in her room until she was discovered dead just after 2 a.m. on May 28, prompting a police presence at the family residence on Oakwynn Circle.
The initial investigation revealed that on May 27, Fatima’s father, 49-year-old Badara Kone, repeatedly struck her with a leather belt as part of what he described as discipline. During the beating, Fatima fell and is believed to have hit her head, a detail confirmed by the medical examiner who classified her death as a homicide due to multiple blunt-force injuries.
The Delaware State Police report further indicates that this was not an isolated incident. Evidence suggests that Fatima and her brothers were subjected to ongoing physical abuse. The tragic loss of Fatima has cast a spotlight on the dire circumstances within the household, raising serious concerns about the children’s safety and well-being.
“While being struck, the child fell to the ground and is believed to have hit her head on a piece of furniture,” the release says. A medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Fatima classified her death as a homicide caused by multiple blunt-force injuries.
Cops say Fatima’s two brothers, ages 15 and 11, were the ones who helped bring her to bed after Kone’s alleged fatal beating. “Detectives obtained evidence supporting that the children had been continuously physically abused,” the DSP release says about Fatima and her siblings.
The boys were taken to a nearby hospital for precautionary wellness checks, and that’s when the alleged abuse was uncovered.
Kone was arrested that same day for the “abuse of the male children” and Fatima’s death, according to DSP officials. He was charged with two felony counts of continuous child abuse, eight counts of fourth-degree child abuse, and murder.
Kone remained in custody Tuesday on a $180,000 cash bond.
