Las Vegas mother facing murder charge in death of daughter
A 25-year-old mother now faces a murder charge after she and her boyfriend, a former professional football player, were arrested Wednesday in the death of her 5-year-old daughter.
Amy Taylor initially was arrested only on one count of child abuse or neglect and had posted $5,000 bail, but was rebooked Friday into the Clark County Detention Center on the murder charge, jail and court records show.
Her boyfriend, 28-year-old Cierre Wood, has been in custody since their arrests Wednesday. He also faces charges of murder and child abuse or neglect, according to the records.
Wood played for the Houston Texans, New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills in the NFL, and most recently in the Canadian Football League. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame.
About 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police Department was called to investigate after medical staff at Summerlin Hospital Medical Center noticed “signs of abuse” on the girl, La’Rayah Patra Nicole Lamont Davis, according to police spokeswoman Laura Meltzer.
The girl had been taken to the hospital from an apartment complex at 9599 W. Charleston Blvd., after having gone into cardiac arrest. She died at the hospital of multiple blunt force injuries, and the Clark County coroner’s office on Friday ruled her death a homicide.
In court on Thursday, a prosecutor also said the girl had suffered a lacerated liver.
La’Rayah’s father, Danuan Davis, has said that he did not know Wood.
A status hearing in Wood’s case is set for Monday morning, while Taylor is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, court records show.
A GoFundMe has been created by La’Rayah’s family to assist with her funeral costs. Davis told the Review-Journal that she will be laid to rest in California, where he lives.
Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.
