"Pattern
of abuse" alleged in tot's death
September
10, 2006
An autopsy indicated that a
2-year-old foster child had been the victim of "ongoing physical
assault" before she died, Gresham police said today.
And Keyana Bravo-Hamilton was dead
by the time she got to the hospital on Labor Day, according to Sgt.
Teddi Anderson.
Anderson said Keyana's foster mom,
Dunia Soledad-Moreno, 29, was charged with murder by abuse because
the child showed evidence of previous injuries. The charge requires
a pattern of abuse. Keyana died of internal injuries, police say,
but they have not released details.
The foster father hasn't been
charged.
Soledad-Moreno, who was arrested
Saturday, was being held in the downtown Portland Justice Center
Jail. Arraignment is scheduled Monday.
State child-welfare workers had
removed the couple's two birth daughters and the foster girl's
3-year-old sister. The couple had been foster parents to Keyana and
Jasmin Hamilton since June. They had hoped to adopt the girls.
The couple's birth daughters are 6
and 2½.
Mary Hamilton, Keyana and Jasmin's
grandmother, said their birth mother, Crystal Hamilton, 21, had
struggled with drug problems.
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