HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — A grand jury indicted a Henry County couple on murder charges Thursday in the death of their foster child last year.
Former Henry County Commission candidate Jennifer Rosenbaum and her husband, Joseph, are accused of abusing 2-year-old Laila Daniel while she was in state-supervised foster care in November 2015. %
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They were indicted Thursday on charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery and first-degree child cruelty.
Laila’s grandmother, Regina Banks, was in the courtroom when the indictment was handed down.
"It’s something I have to live with the rest of my life,” she said. “We're so close to justice now that I’m getting anxious, you know. I'm ready for justice to be served."
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The night Laila died, Jennifer Rosenbaum called 911 and told dispatchers the child was choking on chicken from dinner.
“She's breathing but it's not good. Please hurry!" she says on the call.
But the medical examiner found "Laila did not choke," and ruled her death a homicide.
Meantime, Channel 2’s Aaron Diamant obtained Department of Children and Family Services documents through an open-records request that show state welfare workers failed to report several signs of suspected abuse, or take steps to verify Jennifer Rosenbaum's explanations.
DFCS fired Laila's case worker and a supervisor for mistakes that agency director Bobby Cagle admitted were partly responsible for Laila's death.
“Unfortunately, what we have found is that had policy been followed, the circumstances might have been different,” Cagle said.
Originally, police only charged Joseph Rosenbaum with child cruelty. He'll be re-arrested on the other three charges.
Meantime, both Rosenbaums are out on bond.
The indictment will be assigned to a judge who will schedule the Rosenbaums' arraignments.