LaTonya Austin: Ohio woman admits to killing 2-year-old granddaughter and hiding body in cooler
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
CINCINNATI, OHIO: LaTonya Austin, a 45-year-old grandmother in Hamilton County, pleaded guilty to the charges related to the death of her 2-year-old granddaughter on Wednesday, December 13.
Austin pleaded guilty to gross abuse of a corpse, involuntary manslaughter, and tampering with evidence and will serve 15 to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors claimed that Austin killed her granddaughter and put her body in a cooler in multiple garbage bags.
Following the discovery of her granddaughter's body, the investigation unveiled the harrowing details of the incident, leaving many deeply disturbed.
LaTonya Austin murdered her granddaughter
According to reports from The Cincinnati Enquirer, the police visited Austin's residence in South Fairmount in May 2021, following an anonymous tip about a deceased child in the home.
Upon investigation, Zaila Lee's lifeless body was discovered in a cooler in the backyard, with prosecutors revealing that she had been deceased for approximately a month. Austin was accused of placing her granddaughter's body in multiple trash bags before putting them in the cooler.
Prosecutors stated that Zaila died from blunt-force trauma to her head, and after her death, she suffered a significant laceration to her side and a broken right arm. It is noteworthy that at the time, Austin's two children and another grandchild were residing in the same home.
"I'm just so sorry," Austin said during a hearing on Wednesday in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.
One of her attorneys, Alex Deardorff, highlighted Austin's challenging upbringing, noting that she was raised by an often absent mother and became a mother herself at the age of 15 to an abusive, older man who began a relationship with her when she was just 13.
What are the charges placed on LaTonya Austin?
LaTonya Austin has been sentenced to a term ranging between 15 and 20.5 years in prison after admitting guilt in connection to the death of her granddaughter, Zaila Lee.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters revealed the murder indictment against LaTonya Austin charging her with aggravated murder, two counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault, one count of tampering with evidence, and one count of gross abuse of a corpse.
During the initial stages of the investigation, Austin shifted blame onto another child in the home, claiming to the police that the child "shook and cut her up with scissors."
She also stated that the girl had been dead for a month. The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office determined Zaila’s death as a homicide resulting from blunt-force trauma to the head.
Additionally, the 2-year-old suffered postmortem injuries, including a deep laceration near her hip and a broken right arm, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters expressed his shock at the heinous nature of the crime, emphasizing the difficulty in comprehending an individual capable of causing a child's death and attempting to conceal the crime by placing the lifeless body in a cooler.
Contrastingly, LaTonya Austin's nephew, Armoni Robinson, offered a different perspective, stating that she wouldn't hurt anyone and expressing that she loves children. He highlighted her history of caring for her kids, her daughter's kids, and others without any previous issues as per Law&Crime.
