A Flint woman accused of killing her toddler in Pontiac was arraigned Friday on charges of felony murder and first-degree child abuse.
Latonya Shante Thomas, 27, is held in the Oakland County Jail with bond set at $1 million, charged for the April 25 death of her 3-year-old son, Zaveion Thomas. According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, the child was unresponsive when deputies responded to a 911 call for help at a home in the 100 block of Perry Place — and saw Thomas attempting to perform CPR on him. Paramedics transported the child to an area hospital where he was ultimately pronounced dead, the sheriff’s office said.
An autopsy revealed the child had been injured in an assault and the death was ruled a homicide. An investigation by detectives determined Thomas had assaulted him, causing the injuries that resulted in his death, the sheriff’s office said.
Thomas was arrested June 13 in Flint by the sheriff’s Fugitive Apprehension Team.
“Some of the most horrific cases that we see in law enforcement deal with an abusive death of a child,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard stated in a news release. “It’s hard to imagine someone injuring such a precious young life, and those who abuse a child must be held fully accountable.”
Thomas’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 25 for a probable cause conference before 50th District Judge Jeremy Bowie.