An Ohio neighborhood is reeling following a grim New Year’s Eve tragedy that left a 3-year-old girl dead and her mother facing murder charges. Sharon Sakoulos, 41, appeared in court Friday, where prosecutors revealed she allegedly confessed to suffocating her daughter, Cassidy.
Police rushed to the home just after 5:30 p.m. on December 31 following reports of a child not breathing. Witnesses told local news outlets that officers were forced to kick in the front door in a desperate attempt to reach the victim.
While first responders worked to save the child inside, neighbors described a jarring scene outside.
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Neighbor Tristan Price stated to WSYX that Sakoulos appeared “reactionless” as the chaos unfolded, noting she stood “stoic and calm, smoking a cigarette” while her daughter was fighting for her life. “Like way too calm,” Price added.
Cassidy was rushed to Nationwide Children’s Hospital but was pronounced dead roughly 30 minutes later.
During Friday’s bond hearing, prosecutors told the court that Sakoulos admitted to police that she had placed a plastic bag over the girl’s head with the specific “intention to kill.” The death has been ruled a homicide motivated by domestic violence.
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A judge set Sakoulos’ bail at $2 million. Should she post bond, she is ordered to have no contact with minors, including her own 13-year-old daughter who lives with a different father.
Neighbors remembered 3-year-old Cassidy as a “happy-go-lucky” child who loved Scooby-Doo and had dressed as a “unicorn princess” for Halloween, according to the outlet.
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