Foster Parents Accused of Beating 3-Year-Old Girl with Autism to Death: Prosecutors

A North Dakota couple is facing murder charges after allegedly beating their 3-year-old foster daughter with autism to death, according to court documents. 

Jamie Johnson, 44, and her husband, 62-year-old Raymond Johnson, brought the child — who had been in their care for just a few months — to the hospital in Stanley, North Dakota on March 19, per court documents reviewed by the KFGO, KFYR-TV and Valley News Live. 

She was unresponsive and covered in bruises; medical personnel reportedly attempted life-saving maneuvers, but the child was pronounced dead soon after her arrival.

A later autopsy determined that the girl’s cause of death was blunt-force trauma to the head, per the documents. 

In the documents, authorities detailed a disturbing, pervasive pattern of abuse.

Surveillance footage from the home reviewed by investigators allegedly showed the foster mother punching the toddler in the head, yanking her by her hair so violently that the child’s head struck floors and furniture, hitting her with a wooden spoon and covering her mouth to silence her cries. 

The girl’s foster father was also seen allegedly striking and kicking the child. 

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The couple was arrested on June 6 and charged with felony murder, child abuse involving a victim under 6 and child abuse involving a victim under 12, according to online jail records reviewed by PEOPLE. Bond for both parties is set at $1 million. 

Their next court hearing is scheduled for July 24.