Severe bruising found all over body of 4-year-old dead girl; dad said she fell off slide

FORT WORTH, Texas (KFSM) -- A 25-year-old man who claimed his 4-year-old daughter hit her head after falling off a slide was arrested Wednesday on a capital murder charge in her death, according to police records.

Rekeem LaClinton Dory called 911 around 12:30 a.m. Feb. 17, saying his daughter might be having a seizure. He said he found the little girl in her bed not breathing. He said her lips were turning blue, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Paramedics transported 4-year-old Zianne Essix to Cook Children's Medical Center. Zianne was pronounced dead at 6:06 p.m. Feb. 18.

Dory told police that Zianne and her younger 2-year-old sister were playing on a small plastic slide in the playroom that morning when Zianne fell off the slide and hit her head on the floor, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

Medical personnel found severe bruising “all over Zianne's body” and didn't believe the bruises were consistent with a single fall from a slide, according to the affidavit. Court records detailed the bruising on Zianne's body, which covered much of her back, buttocks, knees, elbows, tops of her feet and her right jaw. She also had "four circular contusions on her forehead" and bruising on her face.

Dory's wife told police that "he probably got super frustrated with Zianne possibly peeing and pooping on herself and whipped her too hard."

While at the hospital, Dory told a Fort Worth police officer that Zianne hadn't been helping clean like she was supposed to, so "he struck her six times with his belt," according to the affidavit.