Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Demopolis Police Department (DPD) is requesting the community’s help to gain information on circumstances surrounding the death of a local infant.

Demopolis Police Chief Rex Flowers confirmed that a Demopolis daycare worker at Tender Years Daycare has been arrested and charged with murder in the Monday death of an infant and asked community members to come forward with any relevant information.

“If anyone has any information about this [murder], please contact the police department,” Flower said.

Demopolis police officers arrested Versa Mae Simmons, 68, Friday after the infant’s demise in her care. 

At approximately 12:56 p.m. last Monday, the Demopolis Police Department and medical personnel from Amstar EMS responded to the daycare at 1001 Maria Avenue where they found an unresponsive infant. 

On the scene, Amstar personnel immediately began CPR and transported the infant to Whitfield Memorial Hospital. Emergency personnel at Whitfield continued to perform life saving measures but were unsuccessful. 

The infant was pronounced dead at the hospital and later transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for an autopsy.

On March 29, after reviewing daycare video footage and speaking with personnel from the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, Demopolis PD obtained a warrant for Simmons on murder charges. She was arrested Friday and transported to the Marengo County Detention Center where she is awaiting a bond hearing.

Social media reports describe the infant’s identity, but Flowers said he could not confirm reports due to the nature of the investigation. Social media posts also allege Simmons engaged in abusive behavior prior to the murder, but Flowers could not confirm the validity of those reports.

“I’ve heard [there were other incidents of abuse] but we have no evidence of that as of yet,” Flowers said. “We haven’t confirmed it and we still have a lot of video we have to review.”

This case remains an active investigation and no other information is available for release at this time.

“We are still waiting on [reports] to come back from forensics,” Flowers said.