Couple Charged In Child's Death Over The Weekend

Mattasia A. Bowie

District Attorney's Office waiting for autopsy results and charges could be modified.

By H. Nelson Goodson
October 6, 2010

Milwaukee - On Wednesday, The Milwaukee District Attorney's Office charged a couple in Milwaukee's South side with child neglect and abuse. Mattaya Bowie, 20, was charged with child neglect in the death of her daughter Mattasia Bowie, 3, and her boyfriend Jeremy Pierre Johnson, 21, was charged with child  abuse. Both charges could be modified pending the result of an autopsy.

Johnson told police that on September 30th, he picked up Mattasia at a daycare and took her home. Once at home, Johnson heard Mattasia fall in a pile of toys. When he went to check on her, she was crying and wouldn't stop crying. He then slapped her to make Mattasia stop crying. She wouldn't stop, so he grabbed Mattasia and threw her against the wall, according to the criminal complaint.
When her mother came home from work, Johnson told her Mattasia had fallen on some toys.
Mattasia's grandmother told police that she saw Mattasia on Friday and she was showing some bruises and told Mattaya to take her see a doctor.
On Saturday, Mattaya took Mattasia to the Aurora Sinai Samaritan Medical Center. Mattasia died a couple of hours later of head trauma and her mother was arrested at the hospital after doctors reported the death to police.
The beating incident occurred in the 1600 block of S. 20th Street in a lower basement apartment, according to the criminal complaint.

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