A man charged with killing his girlfriend's 2-year-old daughter is scheduled to appear in DeKalb County court Monday, police said.
Ellison Matthews, 22, has a 1:15 p.m. court hearing, police spokeswoman Mekka Parrish said. He is charged with murder and first-degree cruelty to children.
The child, whose name has not been released, died as the result of sexual abuse, DeKalb police spokesman Jason Gagnon told the AJC on Sunday.
Matthews was caring for the girl while her mother attended a wedding Saturday morning, Gagnon said. Matthews called 911 from a Brockett Road home and reported the child was unresponsive. he said.
The girl was taken to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, where she was placed on life support, Gagnon said. A doctor alerted detectives to the obvious signs of abuse, Gagnon said. The child died around 3 p.m. Sunday, he said.
Other children who were in the home were taken into state custody, police said.
Matthews is being held at the DeKalb County jail, police said.
Michelle Spinks lives in the home, near Tucker, according to address records. The 29-year-old Spinks and Matthews are engaged to be married, according to their Facebook profiles.
Spinks is the daughter of former boxing champ Michael Spinks, who won at a gold medal in the sport in the 1976 Olympics and is a former heavyweight champion.
Reporter Kristi E. Swartz contributed to this article
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