The woman charged in the death of her 5-month-old daughter pleaded guilty to first-degree child abuse that led to the death of a child under 13 years old in Harford County Circuit Court in January.

Maya Dennis, 33, of Aberdeen, faces a life sentence at her June sentencing. Her daughter’s injuries included skull fractures, brain bleeds, a broken left leg and bruising on both eyes, according to charging documents.

Legal representation for Dennis did not respond for comment.

Police responded to Dennis’s apartment in Aberdeen on Dec. 28, 2024, for reports of a cardiac arrest and found the child not breathing. The child was taken to a nearby hospital and was listed in critical condition, charging documents say. She would die three days later.

Security footage of the apartment building showed an unidentified man enter the apartment around 4:30 p.m. and leave 45 minutes later, according to charging documents. Dennis said the man didn’t touch the daughter or have unsupervised interaction with her.

During Dennis’s initial bail review, public defender Sawyer Hicks said there isn’t enough evidence in the case to place full blame on Dennis. Dennis is a mother of three and that her other children were staying with her family in Baltimore City, Hicks said.

When detectives questioned Dennis on Dec. 29, 2024, she provided contradicting accounts of what happened to the child, including another one of her children falling on the infant and a medication that made the victim’s eyes swell, charging documents say.

Dennis was charged Dec. 31, 2024 with child abuse and first-degree murder. A judge ruled she would be held without bail.

She pleaded guilty to child abuse on Jan. 23 and will be sentenced June 3.

The Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office declined to comment until after the sentencing.

Baltimore Sun reporter Matt Hubbard contributed to this article. 

Have a news tip? Contact Brendan Nordstrom at bnordstrom@baltsun.com or at 443-900-1353.