Great-aunt remembers deceased infant
MANSFIELD – Sophia Rock would have been 3 months old on the day she was buried.
"She has so many outfits that still have tags on them that she never even got to wear," said Shawna Fisher, Sophia's great-aunt.
Sophia died Feb. 3 after being taken to Akron Children's Hospital. Personnel there contacted Mansfield police on Jan. 21, saying Sophia had suffered significant injuries.
Brenda Pratt, 61, whom police said was Sophia's caregiver on the day the injuries occurred, has been charged with murder, endangering children, felonious assault and involuntary manslaughter.
Fisher said Sophia's parents were out of town on business. They were due back Jan. 19, but their flight was delayed.
"The baby wouldn't even have been with her (Pratt)," Fisher said.
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Fisher described Pratt as a "trusted individual."
"She wasn't just a stranger; this was the father's best friend's mother," Fisher said. "She's babysat for all their kids before.
"This wasn't a one-time thing."
Fisher said the family has been frustrated waiting for charges in the case.
"(Monday) was so amazing," she said. "We were all in tears that she had finally been arrested."
Fisher recalled getting an early-morning call about Sophia being rushed to the hospital.
"She was having seizures," Fisher said. "She was going to be transferred to Akron."
While at the hospital, Fisher said Pratt claimed she hadn't done anything to Sophia.
"Nobody was accusing her of anything," Fisher said.
Sophia died less than two weeks after being admitted at Akron.
"We had hope that the swelling would go down, and we would get her back," Fisher said. "They said she sustained so much injury that she would have passed out right after it happened."
Fisher said Sophia was just starting to smile and coo when she was injured. In addition to the emotional pain, the family is struggling financially.
"We can't even pay for her headstone," Fisher said. "There are certain medical bills that the insurance didn't cover."
For now, the family is focusing on the upcoming court case and getting answers to what happened to Sophia.
mcaudill@gannett.com
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Twitter: @MNJCaudill