Judge finds Thurston County woman guilty of abusing her 9-year-old granddaughter
A 55-year-old Lacey woman was found guilty Thursday of abusing her granddaughter over the course of several years.
Thurston County Superior Court Judge Carol Murphy found Cynthia S. Miller guilty of six criminal charges ― two counts of first-degree assault of a child, two counts of second-degree assault of a child, one count of third-degree assault of a child, and one count of criminal mistreatment ― after a five-day bench trial.
A sentencing hearing is set for March 2.
Miller was released from jail on $40,000 bail shortly after her December 2013 arrest. But she was taken into custody Thursday after her conviction at the recommendation of Deputy Prosecutor Megan Winder.
According to court documents, Thurston County Sheriff’s detectives began investigating Miller in October 2013 after staff at the 9-year-old child’s school noticed the girl had bruises on her face and body.
The girl and her sister had been placed in their paternal grandmother’s care about four years earlier, and two of their female cousins also lived in the home. Three of the girls were in good health, but the 9-year-old girl had recently lost a large amount of weight, according to court documents.
The child was examined, and a doctor reported she was covered from head to foot with bruises. She had blisters on her thigh, and what appeared to be old burn marks on other areas of her body. X-rays showed she had healing fractures on both of her wrists, one of her arms, a finger and a toe.
The other girls in the home told detectives the 9-year-old girl was treated differently by their grandmother because she had a demon. They said they would yell “Jehovah” at the girl, while she stood in a corner holding a Bible over her head, according to court documents.
The girl told detectives that her grandmother also had tried to drown her in the bathtub.
Amelia Dickson: 360-754-5445, @Amelia_Oly
This story was originally published January 21, 2016 at 3:30 PM with the headline "Judge finds Thurston County woman guilty of abusing her 9-year-old granddaughter."