Babysitter charged with 3-year-old girl's abuse, murder in Nashville

NASHVILLE -- (WZTV) -- Metro Nashville Police arrested a 26-year-old man accused of beating a 3-year-old girl to death.

Police said 26-year-old Christopher Riley was babysitting little Laylani Rose Stevens on Saturday when the abuse happened. The mother returned home from work around 10 p.m. on Saturday to find Laylani unresponsive.

Laylani's mom immediately brought her to the hospital with extensive head injuries and other internal and external injuries late Saturday night. The child died on Sunday afternoon following her transfer to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.

The child's mother told detectives she asked Riley, a friend, to babysit after she was unable to arrange childcare while she worked on Saturday afternoon and evening. She told police that the child had no injures when she left the home on Hwy 70 South for work.

Riley told the mother that the child's injuries were caused by falls, but detectives found her extensive injuries inconsistent with falling.