Local mother charged for striking, dragging 4-year-old twins

HOMESTEAD, Pa. — A local mother is facing criminal charges for what police called “very rough” treatment of her 4-year-old twins.

According to the criminal complaint, police got involved when a day care found red, linear marks across one of their backs on May 2. The other twin wasn’t at the daycare that day.

Police met with Davonna Tucker, from Homestead, who told them that she was the sole caretaker of the children and didn’t notice the marks when she gave her child a bath the night before the day care worker noticed them.

The complaint said Tucker was adamant that she didn’t hit her child, but after an officer showed her the photos of the marks, she admitted to hitting him with her hand. When detectives told her that the injuries weren’t consistent with hand markings, she said she hit him in the back multiple times with a belt.

Through the investigation, detectives learned that the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police was conducting a similar investigation of child abuse against Tucker from February 2024.

In February, Tucker took both twins and an infant to UPMC Children’s Hospital. An employee at the hospital said she saw Tucker dragging the other twin down the street to a bus stop.

Once at the hospital, Tucker continued being “very rough and physical” with the twin she was dragging, the complaint said. He had a scratch behind his left ear, a bloody lip and a lump on the side of his forehead, all of which hospital staff photographed.

Detectives questioned Tucker about the injuries. She said she had to drag him by his clothing because sometimes he could not keep up with her walking pace, the complaint said.

When asked about the injuries to his face and neck, she said she may have scratched him when she was dragging him. She said the bloody lip and the lump on his forehead may have been from him falling.

Video evidence showed Tucker dragging him in Downtown Pittsburgh. She’s shown aggressively placing him on a bench before grabbing him and shoving him onto the ground.

Tucker is charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of children, aggravated assault and simple assault.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

©2024 Cox Media Group