A mother who deputies say, murdered her 2-year-old daughter, had nothing to say when she faced a judge in Orange County Wednesday.
Amanda Berard, 23, was arrested on Monday and charged with second-degree murder in the death of her toddler daughter, Aaliyah Seymour, 2.
Investigators were called to an apartment in Buchanan Bay Circle on Orange County’s east side Saturday, where they found Seymour not breathing. She was taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The girl had a swelling on the back of her head consistent with a head injury and the medical examiner ruled her death a homicide.
Berard initially told investigators the child was fine when she returned home from work on Friday. Subsequently, she offered a different version of events, telling investigators that she was stressed when she came home from work.
It has been reported by Local 6 that Berard said, she was changing her daughter’s diaper when the girl started moving and attempted to get up. She said she grabbed Aaliyah by the arms and forcefully placed her on her back and the child struck her head on the floor.
While the exact circumstances surrounding Seymour’s death are unclear, her mother did admit to investigators she was the caretaker for the child at the time.
A roommate Tikarra made the 911 call when she observed the girl was not breathing, as Berard, by then, had left for work.
Berard, who cooperated with investigators, was arrested on Monday evening. She was charged with second degree murder and booked into the Orange County Jail, where she remains without bond.
Another child of Berard’s, 3 years old, is now in the custody of the Department of Children and Families.
