CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Court documents filed in a Chesapeake courthouse reveal what investigators believe happened behind closed doors to a 2-year-old girl that ended with her death.
The toddler is only referred to in documents as "Victim AB."
According to the filed criminal complaint, the child's mother left her toddler in the care of the suspect, 35-year-old Harvion Simpkins, while she left for work on Wednesday night.
Simpkins is a registered sex offender and had allegedly argued with the child's mother earlier that day. Text messages collected by Chesapeake detectives claim Simpkins sent messages threatening to kill and beat the mother.
This prompted the mother to contact Chesapeake police to help her collect her children from Simpkins at In Town Suites, off Old Greenbrier Road.
However, when she returned, she found the 2-year-old girl with a busted lip, and bruises on her face, acting lethargic, and could not hold herself up.
Her mother drove the 2-year-old to Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in Norfolk. There, the toddler had emergency surgery.
The girl had extensive injuries including a skull fracture, which was found to be depressed, a brain bleed, and abdominal injuries and bleeds.
The child died hours later on Thursday morning.
Medical experts believe the little girl's injuries could have come from being hit with a blunt object.
Simpkins is facing several charges for the toddler's death. This includes second-degree murder, child abuse, child endangerment, aggravated malicious wounding, and threatening behavior.
The suspect is due to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on July 11.
