Parents Charged In Death Of 6-Year-Old Girl In Fitchburg

FITCHBURG, MA — The parents of a 6-year-old girl found unresponsive yesterday afternoon in a Stoneybrook Road home were arraigned Wednesday on abuse charges in Fitchburg District Court, according to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.

The girl was pronounced dead at UMass-Memorial-HealthAlliance in Leominster on Tuesday. Her 9-year-old brother, who had several injuries, was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

Shana Pedroso, 37, and Marvin Brito, 38, both of the Stoneybrook Road address, were arraigned before Judge Dennis P. Sargent. Ms. Pedroso was charged with two counts of assault and battery on a child with injury and two counts of reckless endangerment of a child. Brito was charged with two counts of reckless endangerment of a child and two counts of permitting substantial injury to a child.

Both pleaded not guilty.

Judge Sargent held both defendants without bail. He continued their cases to April 18 for a dangerousness hearing.

Police said Pedroso kept notes saying the children were "bad," so they were "beaten." She allegedly had used super glue to close a wound on the boy's neck. According to police records reported by the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, officers talked with the nine-year-old brother who said that he and his sister had been beaten by bullies, and that his "sister couldn't drink this morning and his mother was mad."

The mother told her 9-year-old son not to call police, according to authorities.

The Department of Children and Families have taken custody of the boy.

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On Tuesday, Early told reporters that police responding to a 911 call at a Fitchburg home found an injured 9-year-old boy and an unresponsive 6-year-old girl.

Early says the children were taken to the hospital, where the girl was pronounced dead. The district attorney says the boy's injuries are believed to be non-life threatening.

Fitchburg Police Chief Earnest Martineau said it was not a "random act" and there is no danger to the public.

"We are very early in this investigation and it's very active," said Early in a press conference on Tuesday. "There are a lot of moving parts."

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report