Photo: Courtesy Sunny Jo
A North Carolina mother accused of murdering her 2-year-old daughter has been released from jail on an unsecured bond.
On Nov. 22, Jeanie Ditty was released from Cumberland County Jail on a $50,000 unsecured bond, PEOPLE confirms. She had been behind bars since her 2020 trial for the murder of her daughter Macy, which ended with a hung jury.
Macy died on Dec. 4, 2015, two days after Ditty brought her into Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. Ditty had called 911 to report that her daughter was vomiting, struggling to breathe and semiconscious.
Upon arrival at the medical center, staff discovered bruises all over the toddler’s body.
“It was life threatening injuries consistent with child abuse,” Fayetteville Police Department officer Antoine Kincadepreviously told PEOPLE.
In 2016, Ditty was charged with first-degree murder and negligent child abuse. However, in 2020 her trail ended in a hung jury, a Superior Court Clerk official confirms to PEOPLE.
Ditty is facing those two charges, which each carried a $25,000 bond.
AP Photo/The Fayetteville Observer/Cindy Burnham
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Ditty made headlines in March 2016 after it was discovered she had commissioned photos of herself with a superimposed angelic likeness of Macy one month after the toddler’s death.
Courtesy Sunny Jo
Jo says he reached out to Ditty three days after the child’s death and one month later she asked him to create the pictures.
“She is 23 years old and that is young to lose a child,” he said. “And I just felt for her. This was terrible. This poor girl just lost her daughter. This must be the most heartbreaking thing in the world. So when she asked me to do the photos I said absolutely. I just knew that one way or another I wanted to get the pictures done for what I thought at the time was a grieving mother.”
He was later shocked to learn that Ditty was charged with the murder of her daughter.
“I couldn’t sleep since this happened,” he said. “The only thing that helps me out is me thinking I didn’t do it for Jeanie I did it for the spirit of Macy. The only thing I was trying to do was help a grieving mother. I just wanted to make someone happy who was going through a tough time.”
Ditty’s attorney, Meleaha Kimrey, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. It is unclear why her bond was made unsecured. There is no upcoming court appearance scheduled for Ditty.
source: people.com
