A Florida woman has been arrested on first-degree murder charges for allegedly setting a 100-pound Rottweiler on her boyfriend’s nine-year-old daughter, striking the girl, who died from her horrific injuries.
Tyshael Elise Martin, 34, was seen on the family’s security cameras ordering the 103-pound dog to attack Jamaria Sessions on June 15. fox51 reported.
Martin was arrested near her home in Montverde, Florida, around 6 p.m. Wednesday. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said she faces charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and child neglect.
Police launched an investigation on June 17 after a 911 call about Jamaria being unresponsive at the Harbar Oaks Drive home.
Medics responded to the scene and found the girl with abrasions, bruises, burns and suspected bite marks.
Tyshael Elise Martin, 34, was seen on the family’s security cameras ordering the dog to attack 9-year-old Jamaria Sessions on June 15, police said.
Jamaria’s autopsy results indicated the cause of death was complications from multiple blunt force injuries to the head, torso and extremities, as well as a heat-related injury to her right foot.
Detectives searched the family’s security cameras and found shocking footage from the night of June 15.
The dog was seen brutally attacking Jamaria as Martin held the leash and appeared to direct the attack.
Martin also repeatedly kicked the girl as she lay motionless on the ground, detectives who reviewed the footage said.
He also dragged Jamaria’s unconscious body across the ground before punching and shaking her, possibly saying, “I’m about to kill her,” authorities said.
Investigators also discovered through interviews and text messages that the girl was frequently subjected to horrific methods of punishment, including being forced to perform prolonged squats against a wall, running in place with her arms raised, as well as being hit with objects, kicked and punched.
Jamaria’s autopsy results indicated the cause of death was complications from multiple blunt force injuries to the head, torso and extremities, as well as a heat-related injury to her right foot.
At a fundraiser to cover her funeral expenses, Jamaria’s maternal family described her as a “bright and beautiful nine-year-old girl” who leaves behind a five-year-old sister.
Police launched an investigation on June 17 following a 911 call after Jamaria was found unconscious.
Martin is being held without bond in the Lake County Jail.
In a Fundraising To cover funeral expenses, Jamaria’s maternal family described her as a “bright and beautiful nine-year-old girl” who left behind a five-year-old sister.
They said the girls had been living with their father, Lojuan Sessions, since October 2023, after their mother died of leukemia at age 24. They had previously been living with their grandmother.
“Despite our efforts to be a part of their lives and provide them with the love and support they need, we have encountered insurmountable barriers,” the family wrote.
Lojuan Sessions had been serving a five-year prison sentence on two counts of child neglect, MDMA trafficking and fleeing and eluding, until his release in August 2023, the girls’ uncle said. Inside the lake.