The parents of a 4-year-old South Carolina girl are facing charges after she was put in scalding hot water as a punishment.
Hospital staff called Richland County police on February 16 about Hope Fields who was brought to the facility suffering from severe burns and a fractured femur.
The girl was placed on life support for a couple of days before dying from her injuries.
Her father, 34-year-old Wilbur Fields, allegedly admitted to submerging the child in scalding water after she soiled her pants.
The girl’s mother, Fifi Hill-Fields, 32, allegedly witnessed the abuse and did not intervene to stop it.
Sheriff Leon Lott said Hope was left without treatment for 24 hours. On the way to the hospital, she suffered three cardiac arrests.
Three children aged between 5 months and 10 years old were reportedly in the family home during the fatal incident.
They were taken into protective custody. Fields and Hill-Fields were charged with homicide by child abuse and two counts of neglect by a legal guardian.
