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Grandmother is charged with murder after 8-year-old beaten to death, NC cops say

A grandmother is charged with murder after an 8-year-old girl was beaten to death, deputies said.

A North Carolina sheriff’s office said it was called Feb. 7 after a seriously injured young patient was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.

“It was determined that the 8-year old juvenile was beaten so (severely) by the grandmother that she died from the injuries,” the Nash County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a news release. “The child had severe injuries throughout her entire body and head.”

Now, the child’s grandmother is facing multiple charges. Deputies in their news release didn’t list attorney information for the woman, identified as 72-year-old Patricia Ann Ricks.

As of Feb. 8, sheriff’s office continues to investigate details surrounding the case, including how the granddaughter was beaten and how long it took for the girl to arrive at the hospital, Maj. Eddie Moore told McClatchy News in a phone interview.

“At this time, detectives do not know any motive for this crime,” deputies wrote.

Ricks was the 8-year-old’s legal guardian, and the two lived together at a home in Nashville, North Carolina, roughly 45 miles northeast of Raleigh. The Nash County Department of Social Services took the girl’s siblings from the home into custody, officials said.

Ricks was arrested and “charged with first degree murder and felony child abuse with serious injury,” according to deputies. She was taken to the Nash County jail and is scheduled to be in court Feb. 9.

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