The mother of an 18-month-old girl who died in the care of the woman's boyfriend was charged with child endangerment Tuesday after authorities said she knew the man had been beating the child.
Lia Pearson, 37, of Farmington, was charged in Ramsey County District Court. Her boyfriend, Leb Mike Meak, 35, of Maplewood, was charged in February with second-degree murder for allegedly beating Pearson's daughter Genesis Xiong to death.
According to a criminal complaint filed against Meak, he reportedly shook and "roughed [the girl] up" on Feb. 12 before police were called to his house in the 2500 block of Barclay Street in Maplewood and found the baby unresponsive. The complaint also indicated that the girl may have been sexually abused.
Pearson, who was charged Tuesday via summons, is scheduled to make her first court appearance on May 15.
In a phone interview Tuesday, Pearson said, "I did not know about [any] abuse because I believed everything [Meak] had said to me. When he said she hit her head on the weight set, I believed that. When he said she hit her head on the table, I believed that."
According to the complaint against Pearson:
Two of Meak's sons who lived with their father told police they heard Meak hitting the child on several occasions. His 12-year-old son said he heard "thumping sounds" coming from the bedroom and that it bothered him when he heard Genesis yell and scream as she was being hit.
Meak's 8-year-old son said his father hit Genesis "a lot," usually in his room, and he could hear "yelling and hitting and the baby crying." The boy said he and his brother had told Pearson that their father was hitting Genesis. He also said Pearson "acted worried but then told them not to tell their dad that they told her, or he and his brother might get in trouble."
