Police: Gwinnett Uncle Charged in 3-Year-Old's Death

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A Gwinnett County man has been arrested and charged in the death of his 3-year-old niece, police said Friday.

Rodney Hamilton was charged with felony murder and cruelty to children in the death of Tamiah Hamilton, who police said was taken to the hospital in late January with seizures and died from her injuries. Police said Hamilton is the girl’s uncle and also adopted her.

According to jail records Rodney Hamilton was listed with an unincorporated Gwinnett address north of Lawrenceville and west of Dacula, on Reading Court.

He was arrested Thursday, six days after the county medical examiner determined the cause of death to be homicide.

Gwinnett Police said in a news release that Tamiah was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville on January 30 “regarding a convulsion/seizure complaint,” and was immediately taken to Children Healthcare of Atlanta. She was in very critical condition, police said.

“Medical staff at CHOA provided preliminary information that the child’s injuries could have been caused by another person,” Cpl. Deon Washington said in the news release. “As a result, the Gwinnett Police Homicide Unit participated in the investigation. Both of the adults that lived in the home were interviewed by homicide detectives and DFACS was notified.”

Police determined Rodney Hamilton was the only adult in the home during the 24 hours leading up the emergency, but there was no evidence to file charges at the time.

Three other children also lived in the home, Tamiah’s two-year-old sister, who was taken into state custody in Massachusetts, and two others, ages 7 and 10, who remained in the home with their biological mother, police said.

The medical examiner’s report was completed on April 24 and ruled homicide.

“The cause of death was Hypoxic/Ischemic Encephalopathy due to closed head trauma with a right subdural hematoma,” Washington said in the release.

According to the online medical database Medscape, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is “characterized by clinical and laboratory evidence of acute or subacute brain injury due to asphyxia.”

Police interviewed Rodney Hamilton a second time on Thursday at police headquarters.

“He offered no explanation for the medical findings,” Washington said, and Hamilton was later charged.

He was booked into the county jail at 6:06 p.m. Thursday and is being held without bond.

(Photo: Rodney Allen Hamilton. Gwinnett County Jail mug shot)