A Roseville woman has been found guilty of first-degree child abuse and felony murder in the tragic death of a 23-month-old boy she had been babysitting. Kimora Launmei Hodges, 21, was convicted by a jury on July 31, 2025, following a harrowing trial that detailed the events of June 13, 2022, when the abuse took place.
The incident occurred at a residence in the 30000 block of Little Mack Avenue, where Hodges had been caring for the child intermittently over a two-month period. According to authorities, the boy’s mother told police she had left her son in Hodges’ care while she was at work, according to a report from Detroit NBC.
Upon returning, Hodges reportedly told the mother that her son “didn’t look normal.” Concerned, the mother immediately contacted 911, and an ambulance was dispatched to the apartment. Emergency responders rushed the toddler to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery for severe head trauma. Despite efforts to save him, the boy succumbed to his injuries.
During the investigation, Hodges admitted to physically abusing the child, according to statements from law enforcement officials. Her confession became a key part of the prosecution’s case, leading to her arrest shortly after the child’s hospitalization.
Throughout the trial, prosecutors presented evidence of the abuse and the extent of the child’s injuries, which they said were consistent with intentional and repeated harm. Jurors ultimately found Hodges guilty on both counts after deliberating on the facts presented in court. Hodges attempted to blame the boy’s condition on an “allergic reaction” to him eating soap, the mother wrote on a GoFundMe page for her son.
“This was a heartbreaking and deeply disturbing case,” said a spokesperson for the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office. “The loss of such a young life under these circumstances is incomprehensible, and we are grateful for the jury’s careful consideration and verdict.”
Neighbors and community members were shocked by the news when it first surfaced in 2022, as Hodges lived just doors away from the child’s family. The boy’s mother had entrusted her neighbor with caring for her son while she worked—an arrangement that quickly turned tragic.
Hodges is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2, 2025. Given the severity of the charges, she faces the possibility of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The case has reignited conversations about childcare safety and the importance of background checks and supervision, especially when parents must rely on informal childcare arrangements within their communities.