Categories: Louisiana News

Zachary woman accused of beating daughter with belt, charged with child cruelty

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A 29-year-old woman from Zachary is facing a felony charge after investigators say she beat her six-year-old daughter with a belt, leaving visible injuries.

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested Kyloni Leake on Friday, April 4. She is charged with child cruelty.

According to an affidavit, the investigation began on March 27 after the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) reported a possible abuse case involving a first-grade student at an elementary school in Baton Rouge.

School staff said the girl was reluctant to participate in gym class, telling them she was hurt. Employees then discovered bruises on the child’s right arm, right leg, and face. The girl initially told authorities she had fallen from a scooter, though her older brother reportedly told staff she had gotten into trouble and was not allowed to speak about it.

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A DCFS worker visited the girl’s home on March 25. According to the report, the child again claimed her injuries came from falling outside. The girl was not removed from the home at that time.

She was later taken to Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with multiple bruises, a contusion on her cheek, and a scar on her upper arm. A physician noted a circular bruise on her right cheek and scattered bruising on both lower legs.

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During a forensic interview at the Baton Rouge Children’s Advocacy Center, the girl said her mother used a belt “that had circles” to discipline her brothers—and that she received a “butt whooping” that left marks on her face. When asked how her face was injured, she pointed to it and replied, “I got a butt whooping.”

Detectives later executed a search warrant at Leake’s residence and found a black belt with metal circle grommets. Leake identified it as the belt used for discipline. During an interview with sheriff’s deputies, Leake admitted to hitting the girl on her legs but denied striking her on the arms or face. She told investigators she disciplined the child after the girl allegedly hit her 3-year-old sibling in the mouth.

Leake also told investigators the child fell from her bunk bed and scratched her face days before DCFS was contacted.

Following the interview and the forensic disclosures, Leake was arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.

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