BETHLEHEM, Ga. — A father is now facing second degree murder charges in the death of an 8-year-old girl who died this week, arrest warrants and jail records show.
Records show Cledir Barros, 37, faces second degree murder and second degree child cruelty charges in the case, and was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail on Wednesday. Arrest warrants allege he "was aware the child was abused and continued to leave them unsupervised with the abuser."
"When made aware the child was having a medical emergency, did not seek medical care," the arrest warrant adds. "The child died as a result of this negligence."
Barros was in court Thursday morning for a first appearance hearing, where he was appointed a public defender. He was not eligible for bond at this stage due to the second-degree murder charge.
The girl's stepmother, 34-year-old Natiela Barros, is facing malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and first-degree child cruelty charges in the case. Arrest warrants allege Barros beat the child with a wooden rolling pin.
A spokesperson with the Gwinnett County Police Department said Tuesday that there was an 8-year-old and a woman at a home on Vine Springs Trace in Bethlehem when the child suffered a medical emergency.
The woman called the child's father, to whom Barros is married, who arrived and found the 8-year-old unresponsive. He then called 911 and performed CPR.
When emergency medical services arrived, the child was pronounced dead on scene, officials said.
Natiela Barros' arrest warrants allege she violently assaulted the girl "while angry," striking her with the rolling pin 10-20 times. The warrants accuse Barros of hitting her in multiple areas, including the neck, and then "refusing to get her medical care," which "resulted in her death."
The Gwinnett County Police Homicide Unit and the medical examiner's office are examining the death.
"Details surrounding the criminal investigation are confidential," in accordance with Georgia law concerning child abuse cases, Gwinnett Police said.
The Georgia Division of Family and Children's Services says they had a history with the child's family dating back to Nov. 2023, where a case was instantiated and subsequently closed.
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