Two Gulfport residents will be facing time in prison following the death of a five-year-old child.
Gulfport police arrested 29-year-old Denzel Jamal Blakely and 31-year-old Lachelle Renae Washington on Monday and transported the two suspects to the Harrison County Adult Detention Facility.
According to police, officers responded to a five-year-old juvenile’s medical emergency at the 3300 block of 39th Avenue on Friday before he was transported to Memorial Hospital. The juvenile was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.
Through the course of the investigation, the juvenile’s autopsy revealed that his cause of death was attributed to blunt force trauma. Detectives interviewed Blakely and Washington, with both later admitting culpability.
Blakely has been charged with one count of capital murder and is being held without bond. Washington’s bond has been set at $50,000 for her one count of child deprivation of necessaries with substantial harm.
The Gulfport Police Department is urging anyone with information regarding the incident to contact (228) 868-5959 or Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at (877) 787-5898.
