Stepmother of Dead Toddler Charged with Murder

BOSTON - The stepmother of a 3-year-old who died after being found unresponsive in his home has been charged with his murder, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

Marie Buie, 23, was indicted by a grand jury. She is being charged with second-degree murder for injuries she allegedly inflicted on Kenai Whyte.

Whyte was found unconscious Jan. 31 in his father's Alpine Street home and transported to Boston Medical Center, where he died Feb. 2.

Officials determined the child died as a result of blunt force trauma. Authorities say an investigation determined that Buie was alone with the child after others witnessed him to be unharmed and healthy.

“Since the moment we learned of his terrible injuries, prosecutors and police detectives have been gathering facts, evidence, and medical opinions with an eye only to determining the truth,” Conley said in a statement. “We could not always share our progress with the public because doing so could have harmed the investigation. But we never lost sight of the devastating tragedy Kenai’s loving family suffered in his death, or our fundamental duty to speak for the tiny, innocent boy whose life was taken.”

Buie's arraignment has not yet been scheduled. She was initially held on $100,000 bail after her arraignment on assault and battery charges last month, when she turned herself in.