SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs police have arrested and charged a babysitter in the murder of a 2-year-old Smyrna girl.
Kirstie Flood, 29, faces two counts of felony murder and counts of malice murder, aggravated battery and cruelty to children in the 1st degree.
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While police did not release her name, family confirmed to Channel 2′s Mike Petchenik the girl’s name is Fallon Fridley and shared photos of the 2-year-old.
Friends have set up a GoFundMe for the family to help pay for the funeral.
Fallon’s parents said Flood had been their full-time babysitter since August and never suspected she was capable of something like this.
“She was just the light of my life, the love of my life,” Kristin Fridley said. “This girl was gonna be the next president. She was gonna be a doctor.”
Fridley says Flood was a close friend for the last five years.
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Police said they responded to an apartment off Monterey Parkway last Wednesday and found the toddler unresponsive. Fallon was rushed to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta but pronounced dead at the hospital.
Fridley says Flood called her hysterically crying and claimed the child hit her head on a slide at the playground.
Doctors at Children’s Healthcare determined her injuries were not consistent with Flood’s story.
An autopsy revealed Fallon suffered severe injuries that resulted in her death.
When police searched Flood’s phone, a warrant says she had been searching things like “what type of people enjoy abusing other people’s children” and “what does it mean to have a sudden urge to beat a child that’s not yours.”
“It’s like this evil was in front of my face for years and I never saw it,” Fridley said.
Friends of the suspect say they’re shocked.
“She loves children. Her children are her whole world. She posts about her children every single day. She’s an amazing mom. She would never hurt a child,” Sheri Travis told Petchenik.
Friends have set up a GoFundMe for the family to help pay for the funeral.
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