Sheriff: 2-Month-Old Suffered Repeated Abuse

Update, 4:50 p.m.: A judge denied bond Wednesday for the father charged in the death of his 2-month-old daughter.

Jordan Ray Hodson, 33, was charged with homicide by child abuse after his daughter, Makenna Elizabeth Hodson, was pronounced dead around 9 p.m. Tuesday.

The girl’s mother, 32-year-old Sara Elizabeth Hodson, is charged with unlawful neglect toward a child. A judge set her bond at $50,000.

Investigators believe this wasn’t the first time Makenna Hodson was abused.

"This baby was mistreated from the very beginning of her life,” said Sheriff James Metts. “She suffered two months of neglect and abuse."

Neighbors and people who knew the Hodsons told investigators they heard Sara Hodson say she didn’t want her baby and that she “felt like throwing this child against the wall,” Metts said. They didn't have good things to say about Jordan Hodson's parenting skills either, Metts said.

Preliminary autopsy results show that Makenna Hodson died from gastric perforation and complications resulting from gastric perforation, Lexington County Coroner Harry Harman said.

At her bond hearing Wednesday afternoon, Sara Hodson was in tears.

“I can’t believe this happened,” she said. “I love my kids.”

The Hodsons have three other children who are all in protective custody, Metts said.

Investigators say Sara and Jordan Hodson were in an on-and-off relationship. Sara Hodson called Jordan Hodson Tuesday afternoon and said the kids were “driving her crazy” and asked him to come take care of them, Metts said.

When Jordan Hodson arrived, Sara Hodson left, Metts said. The father later noticed that Makenna Hodson wasn’t moving and was turning blue, Metts said, so he took her to Pelion Family Practice around 2 p.m.

Makenna was already deceased when she arrived at the doctor's office, Metts said, but was transported to Lexington Medical Center and Richland’s Children’s Hospital where doctors tried to revive her. She was officially pronounced dead around 9 p.m.

Metts says the stories that Sara and Jordan Hodson told aren’t adding up with medical evidence. Officers are interviewing the Hodsons' other children and continue to investigate the incident.

Original story, 1:52 p.m.: Deputies charged the father of a 2-month-old girl who died Tuesday with homicide by child abuse, according to the Lexington County Sheriff's Department.

Jordan Ray Hodson, 33, of Pelion is being held at the Lexington County Detention Center. 

The girl's mother, 32-year-old Sara Elizabeth Hodson, is charged with unlawful conduct toward a child. 

The 2-month-old, Makenna Elizabeth Hodson, was pronounced dead around 9 p.m. Tuesday, according to the sheriff's department. A medical examination showed evidence of blunt force trauma.

According to arrest warrants, Jordan and Sara Hodson took their daughter to the Pelion Family Practice Tuesday because she was unresponsive. She was transported to Lexington Medical Center, and then to Richland Children’s Hospital where she received emergency medical treatment. 

Deputies arrested Jordan and Sara Hodson at the Lexington Medical Center in West Columbia after their explanations of the injuries to Makenna were not consistent with the findings of the medical staff, according to the sheriff's department.

Jordan and Sara Hodson are awaiting a bond hearing scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday. 

The Lexington County Coroner's Office will conduct an autopsy of Makenna Wednesday afternoon. 

Deputies continue to investigate the incident. Anyone with additional information related to the death of Makenna Hodson should contact the Sheriff’s Department at 803-785-8230 or CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.