Mom lied to shield friend suspected of killing her 4-year-old, NC police say

The mom of a dead 4-year-old old is accused of trying to hide the fact a friend was involved in the child’s fatal injuries, according to police in North Carolina.

Danaysha Alexandra Booker was arrested Monday, Nov. 10, and charged with felony child abuse, the Hudson Police Department said in a news release.

Thomas Lee Bryant, 22, was babysitting when the boy suffered an “assault” that proved fatal days later, police said. Bryant is the mother’s boyfriend, news outlets report.

“It was determined that Thomas Lee Bryant was under court-ordered condition of release prohibiting any contact with the 4-year-old child. Despite this, Bryant was asked to care for the child by the child’s mother … while she was at work that morning,” police said.

“During the incident and subsequent investigation, Booker provided false information in an effort to conceal the circumstances of who was caring for the child. These actions contributed to a delay in the child receiving first aid.”

Bond for Booker was set at $1 million, officers said.

Bryant has been charged with murder and is being held without bond, police said.

Investigators say the child was injured Nov. 4 while Bryant was babysitting at a home Hickman Avenue in Hudson.

“The victim was initially transported to a local hospital and later transferred to a regional trauma center for advance medical treatment,” police say.

The child died of his injuries on Nov. 6 at the hospital.

Hudson is about a 70-mile drive northwest from Charlotte.

This story was originally published November 13, 2025 at 10:17 AM with the headline "Mom lied to shield friend suspected of killing her 4-year-old, NC police say."