A Maryland woman is accused of strangling her 11-year-old daughter to death after killing four of the family’s pets, court documents state.
Keyona Dillon, 34, was charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bond at the Baltimore County Detention Center, officials announced Friday.
Police said officers responded to a home in the 2100 block of Firethorn Rd. around noon on Thursday, where they found 11-year-old London Olsen dead in the basement.
A plastic drain cleaner was discovered near the girl’s body, which authorities believe was used to strangle her, Fox45 Baltimore reported.
Three other children were found in the home but were unharmed, officials said.
Dillon reportedly told investigators that the brutal attack stemmed from a disagreement between mother and daughter.
According to police, Dillon initially acted erratically and refused to cooperate when investigators tried to question her.
She was later taken to police headquarters for another interview, during which she claimed that groups of people were trying to set her up. She also alleged that London was involved in a sexual relationship with the father of her other three children, Fox 45 reported.
Detectives found no evidence to support these allegations or any indication that the child had been sexually abused by the man.
Dillon also admitted to killing the family’s four pets — two cats, a dog and a rabbit — to intimidate London, explaining that it was meant to show her “what would happen to her if she didn’t tell the truth.”
Investigators spoke with Dillon’s 5-year-old daughter, who said her mother had killed the pets earlier in the week by using a hammer and her knee. She then reportedly placed the animals’ bodies in a trash can in the kitchen.
Dillon appeared in court on Friday, where she told a judge she didn’t want to be represented by a lawyer, local television station WBAL reported.
“I’m representing myself,” she said. “I am an indigenous sovereign of the land. You collected DNA without my permission. You are violating my rights.”