(Smyrna, TN) Youth Services detectives charged a Nashville mother and her Smyrna boyfriend with attempted criminal homicide and two counts of aggravated child abuse in connection with injuries to her nine-month-old daughter and two-year-old son.
20-Year-old Priscila Mota was taken into custody at her Bell Road apartment by Youth Services and South Precinct CFIT (Community Field Intelligence Team) detectives and is now jailed in lieu of $175,000 bond. In Rutherford County, 19-year-old Santos Lang was taken into custody in Smyrna. He is being held without bond pending a hearing.
The nine-month-old girl was taken to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital on December 13 unresponsive and was found to be suffering from a bruised and swollen shut left eye, multiple skull fractures, collarbone factures, a subdural hematoma, and subdural hemorrhages. Doctors reported the injuries to be consistent with severe child abuse.
During the investigation by lead Youth Services Detective Steffani Dahlstrom, Mota said her daughter fell from a bed between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on December 12, and that she left the child in her room until 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. the next morning. She said the infant was unresponsive. Mota called 911 at 11:07 a.m. on the December 13.
Lang told Detective Dahlstrom that Mota locked herself in a room with the nine-month-old on December 12 before she finally emerged. He said he smoked marijuana with Mota and they fell asleep. They found the nine-month-old unresponsive the next day.
The two-year-old had scratches to his face, a welt on his back, and severe diaper rash causing his skin to peel. He had been removed from Mota’s custody in 2021 and should not have been in the home with her.
Mota and Lang were found to be the only caregivers of the children.
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