Woman held without bail in connection with death of 6-month-old

BURLINGTON, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) —A woman was held without bail Friday in connection with the death of a child.

Pallavi Macharla, 40, of Burlington, was arrested Friday on murder charges. Investigators say that on March 27, 2014, a 6-month-old baby girl was left in the care of Macharla, who was her neighbor. That was not the first time she cared for the infant, officials say.

At about 2:40 p.m. that day, Macharla allegedly called the baby's mother and let her know that the baby was unable to breathe. When the mother arrived at Macharla's home, she saw her performing CPR on the infant. The mother called 911 right away.

Macharla said the baby threw up after eating and then became unresponsive. She did not have a pulse when first responders arrived. The infant was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead three days later.

Tests proved that the baby was suffering from diffuse subdural hemorrhaging, diffuse subarachnoid hemorrhaging, diffuse and multilayered bilateral retinal hemorrhages and retinoschisis, officials say. She also had several vertebral compression fractures to different areas of her spine, which police say were from March 27 and may have been caused by shaking. "Blunt force and shaking injuries of head" were listed as the cause of death.

It turns out that Macharla didn't even have a daycare license and was cited for offering unlicensed care in her home.

"This incident is yet another tragic example of a situation in which a care giver has allegedly inflicted injuries on a baby," said District Attorney Marian Ryan. "Much has been done in this state regarding education on the issue of shaken baby syndrome but clearly this is a stark reminder that prevention programs must continue. It is striking how we still see such disregard for human life in certain cases in which adults leave children alone, fail to get medical help for infants in medical distress, and physically abuse someone so young."

Macharla was held without bail after her arraignment Friday. She is facing charges of murder and operating an unlicensed child care program. She is due back in court next week.

Cox Media Group