Detroit woman, boyfriend, charged with murder in child abuse, torture case

Woman, boyfriend charged with murder, torture and child abuse

Wayne County prosecutors say 24-year-old Michael Yharbrough is not yet in custody, but he is also charged with murder, torture, and child abuse. It?s alleged he?s the one who actually injured and killed the child.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A Metro Detroit mother and her boyfriend were charged with murder, torture and child abuse, as it is alleged that the boyfriend continued to abuse the child and the mother covered it up.

Now on Tuesday, officials are asking why the two had custody of the child in the first place. 

What they're saying:

35-year-old Brianna Simmons is charged with murder, torture, and child abuse involving her three-year-old son.

"Her three-year-old child died in March of this year after multiple removals by CPS, and the child was returned to his mother, Miss Simmons, and the co-defendant, Mr. Michael Yharbrough, in this case," explained assistant Wayne County prosecutor Brittany Johnson in court. "That boy would be removed again and again, each time with additional broken bones, which are only alleged to have happened after Miss Simmons allowed this individual to move into her home and stay in her home and continue assaulting her child."

Wayne County prosecutors say 24-year-old Michael Yharbrough is not yet in custody, but is also charged with murder, torture, and child abuse. 

It’s alleged he’s the one who actually injured and killed the child. Police say it happened at their home on Rutherford on the city’s west side. 

The child died on March 1.

Prosecutors said Simmons, continually ignored the abuse, going to five different facilities to get medical care for her son and to try to hide the cause of his injuries.

"She aided and abetted her co-defendant, and it led to this child’s ultimate death," Johnson continued. 

The magistrate ordered her held without bond.

Prosecutors say her older children will be witnesses in this case, but there are many questions now for Children’s Protective Services (CPS) about why the child was allowed back into his mother’s care.

Dig deeper:

FOX 2 spoke with a therapist who works on cases like the one involving Simmons. 

The therapist explained that these workers need better pay, better training, and smaller caseloads if we really want to protect these children.

Meanwhile, attorney Jonathan Marko sued CPS on behalf of the father of three-year-old Chayce Allen, who was found dead in his mother’s freezer in 2022. 

Despite repeated abuse, it’s alleged CPS continued to return him to his mother.

"These are the people who are entrusted and tasked with protecting the most vulnerable children, many who are abused and neglected," he said. "This is not the type of job where you can just phone it in, because when you do, people get hurt and people can die."

The other side:

CPS told FOX 2 they cannot comment on specific cases.