NASH COUNTY, N.C. — A North Carolina grandmother is being charged with murder after authorities said she beat an 8-year-old so badly that the child died.
Nash County deputies were called around 4 p.m. Tuesday, after a child suffering from severe, life-threatening injuries was brought into the ER at Nash UNC Healthcare. The child had died upon arrival at the hospital.
Investigators determined the child lived with her grandmother and other siblings in Nashville, North Carolina. Deputies also responded to that address.
The grandmother, identified as 72-year-old Patricia Ricks, was the legal guardian of all of the children, according to the sheriff's office.
The Nash County Sheriff's Office said an investigation showed Ricks beat the 8-year-old girl so severely that she died from her injuries.
"The child had severe injuries throughout her entire body and head," according to a post from the Nash County Sheriff's Office.
Ricks is charged with first-degree murder and felony child abuse. She was being held at the Nash County Detention Center without bond, the sheriff's office said.
Deputies said a motive in the case is unknown at this time.
Her first court date is Feb. 9 in Nash County District Court, the sheriff's office said.
The other siblings are in the custody of Nash County DSS.
