Bradenton mother arrested in 2009 death of 4-year-old daughter
BRADENTON, Fla. (FOX 13) - Nearly ten years after the death of a Bradenton child, detectives arrested her mother.
In August 2009, Manatee County deputies and EMS arrived at Dominique Brewer's home, located in the 6700 block of 46th Avenue West. Officials said her 4-year-old daughter, Kelis Rucker, was unresponsive, and she was cold to the touch.
The child was taken to a hospital where she was declared dead.
At the time, detectives said Brewer was the only person in the home with the child. They said she gave inconsistent statements during the investigation. Brewer admitted she used drugs prior to the incident, detectives added.
Detectives obtained a warrant to search the home, canvassed the neighborhood, and did a re-enactment of the incident, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. Rucker's autopsy results showed her cause of death was from asphyxiation, which means a deprivation of oxygen.
Detectives said Brewer couldn't provide an explanation to the injury. The investigation led to no arrest.
The case was reopened in 2017, the sheriff's office said, and by June 2019, a decision was made to file charges. Officials did not specify what evidence may have led to the arrest of Brewer, who was taken into custody Monday.
Brewer faces a murder charge.