Stepfather beats girl, 3, into a coma, girl has parts of skull removed

Joshua Houser has been arrested and accused of beating his 3-year-old stepdaughter, Kilah Davenport, so severely she is in a coma and had to have parts of her skull removed due to brain swelling and bleeding. Photo via screen capture WSOC-TV9 News

Joshua Houser, 22, was arrested on Tuesday after allegedly beating his 3-year-old stepdaughter so severly that doctors had to remove part of her skull due to swelling and bleeding in her brain.

The little girl, Kilah Davenport, is currently in a coma and suffering from a brain injury, fractured skull, broken collarbone and bruises on her body.  She is being treated at Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital in Concord, North Carolina.

The beating allegedly took place in the family’s Union County, North Carolina, home after the child’s mother, Kirbi Davenport, left the child with Houser so she could go to work.

Kirbi Davenport married Houser 10 months ago and says she is currently pregnant with his child.

Houser has been charged with been charged with felony child abuse and inflicting serious injury, though more charges may be forthcoming.  He is currently being held at the Union County jail and bail has been set at $1 million.

The girl’s mother said doctors will try to get Kilah on a feeding tube Saturday, which would be a step in the right direction on a very long road to recovery.

“All I want is prayers for her. She needs them more than anything in this world,” the girl’s mother told WSOC-TV9.

Sources:  WSOC-TV9, the Daily Mail