SERENITY RICHARDSON - 3 yo - Summerville NC

A second person has been arrested in the Tuesday death of 3-year-old Serenity Richardson, Summerville police said Friday.

Shanita Latrice Cunningham, 23, of Congaree River Drive is charged
with homicide by child abuse, police Capt. Jon Rogers said in a news
release.

She was being held in Charleston County jail pending a bond hearing.

Cunningham lived in the house along with Serenity's caretaker, Erica Mae Butts, also 23.

Butts was charged with homicide by child abuse this week and remains in jail.

The child's mother, Ieshia Richardson, had left Serenity in Butts' care for several weeks while she was moving in Detroit.

Serenity's body was found at the Congaree Drive residence about 7
p.m. Tuesday after Butts' mother dialed 911 and said the child was not
breathing, according to court records.

Summerville firefighters found the child in full cardiac arrest.

An unidentified woman inside the house told a paramedic that the
girl was sitting in a chair, fell backward and struck her head,
according to the police report.

Charleston County EMS took the girl to Summerville Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 8:05 p.m.

Doctors and nurses at the hospital saw cuts and bruises on Serenity's chest, abdomen, legs, arms, feet and back.

The police report states there was a golf-ball-size bruise on her head and a large burn mark on her right leg.

An autopsy by a Medical University of South Carolina forensic
pathologist determined that the cause of death was "full body blunt
force trauma," the warrant states.

Butts had told police she had whipped the girl and that Serenity had hit her head several times, court records said.

It was unclear Friday why the second arrest was made. Rogers would say only that the person was a second resident of the house.

The news release said Cunningham was arrested based on information developed during the investigation.

Rogers said the investigation is still open and ongoing.

Authorities are releasing more information in the child abuse case that
left a three year old dead. This comes as investigators arrested 23
year old Shanita Cunningham in connection with the case. They have
charged her with homicide by child abuse. Cunningham is the second
arrest in the death of three year old Serenity Richardson. 23 year old
Erica Butts was arrested Tuesday and charged with homicide by child
abuse. Cunningham and Butts are roommates and live in Summerville.
Authorities say Butts was taking care of Serenity when the child died.
According to court documents, Erica Butts told authorities she beat the
child multiple times with a belt after the child urinated on the floor.
Butts also said Serenity hit her head multiple times while falling in
the bathroom and thirty minutes after the last fall, Butts said the
child’s breathing became shallow.
That’s when authorities say Erica Butts called her mother LaDawn Butts
to her home to help. They say LaDawn Butts was the one who called 911.
The investigation also shows that Shanita Cunningham was at the home
during the incident and also hit the child with a belt.
Court papers also show Cunningham realized the toddler was unconscious
and put the child on ice to shock her. When that did not work,
authorities say Cunningham put bleach under the child’s nose to attempt
to wake her up. Authorities say that is when Cunningham left the state
to avoid being arrested.
Investigators say the toddler had bruises all over her body and head
and a large burn on her leg.