***UPDATE***

The below press release was announced by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General

CASE UPDATE: Lancaster Woman Sentenced to State Prison for Toddler’s Murder

December 9, 2020

HARRISBURG—Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced that Angela Diaz, the Lancaster county woman charged with the 2017 death of a 2-year-old girl in her custody, has been sentenced to 15-30 years in state prison.

“Today, we remember 2-year-old Brooklyn March, who was taken from us by Angela Diaz,” said Attorney General Shapiro. “Diaz now faces the consequences of her actions and will go to prison for a long time. My Office is committed to defending our most vulnerable, and there are none more vulnerable than our children. We will continue to hold child abusers accountable and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”

In May 2017, police responded to Diaz’s home and found the 2 year-old girl unresponsive.  The toddler had been in Diaz’s custody for approximately 4 months while her biological parents resided in Georgia.  The child was taken to Hershey Medical where an examination of the body revealed that the toddler had suffered malnutrition and brain trauma from a severe impact while in Diaz’s custody and care.  Experts in the field of child abuse injuries concluded that the child’s death was a result of physical child abuse.

Investigations conducted by both the Lancaster County District Attorney and the Attorney General’s office determined that Angela Diaz caused the child’s death.  Evidence showed that on the date of her death, the victim vomited after eating an egg and olive sandwich. Diaz responded by kicking and body slamming the victim against a firm surface in the house.  The impact was forceful enough to cause separation of the child’s retinas and resulted in bleeding in the child’s brain.

The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge of Third Degree Murder in September 2020 before the Honorable Howard Knisely, who also imposed today’s sentence. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Chief Deputy Attorney General Daniel J. Dye.

August 22, 2017 POST:

A West Lampeter Township woman is charged with inflicting injuries that caused the May 20 death of a 2-year-old girl.

Investigators determined 36-year-old Angela M. Diaz had sole custody of the girl on May 16 when she sustained head injuries that, according to doctors, would have immediately incapacitated the child.

West Lampeter Township police Detective Steven Heinly on Monday afternoon charged Diaz with homicide and two felony counts of endangering a child. Assistant District Attorney Karen Mansfield approved the filing of charges.

District Judge William Benner arraigned Diaz, who was remanded to Lancaster County Prison without bail.

The child died at Hershey Medical Center, where she was transferred after initial treatment at Lancaster General Hospital.

The Dauphin County Coroner’s Office concluded the child sustained debilitating head and spinal injuries and also suffered from malnutrition and starvation. The death was ruled a homicide.

Police allege the child became malnourished since being in Diaz’s care since January 2017.

Diaz did not have legal custody of the child, but was caregiver by agreement with the child’s mother and father, who were in hardship and relocated their daughter to Diaz’s home on Hollinger Road.

Diaz lived at that home with her husband and children. The husband was often away on business and was not home at all on May 16, when the fatal injuries were inflicted.

Other children in the home told police Diaz had sole custody in a room with the 2-year-old when she went limp and unresponsive.

Regarding the 2-year-old child’s malnourishment, the child’s mother told police the girl had become much skinnier – her hip bones and ribs becoming visible – since Diaz took over as caregiver.

The investigation is ongoing.

Diaz is presumed innocent.