A man accused of killing a 4-year-old girl while caring for her was arrested in Georgia following an hourslong standoff with a SWAT team, according to authorities.
The girl, who law enforcement identified as Niomi Rose, was found “unresponsive with visible injuries” at a home in Hephzibah following a 911 call made the evening of Friday, April 10, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release issued the next day.
The 911 caller, identified as Linda Rose, reported Niomi was unresponsive while being cared for by 28-year-old Collin Aaron Aber, according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities did not specify the nature of the relationship between Linda, Niomi or Aber.
After first responders’ attempts to save Niomi’s life, she was taken to a local medical center and declared dead at 12:12 a.m. on April 11, according to the sheriff’s office.
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Deputies went to the hospital and the Hephzibah home where the girl was found unresponsive after learning Aber and Linda “had left the scene,” the sheriff’s office said. Hephzibah is about a 125-mile drive northwest from Savannah.
Aber and Linda were believed to be riding in an SUV, which was seen driving near the medical center with hazard lights turned on, according to authorities.
After the vehicle was spotted, deputies tried to pull the car over, the sheriff’s office said.
Linda got out of the SUV, but Aber allegedly fled.
Deputies then pursued Aber, who drove to his father’s home, according to the sheriff’s office.
Upon arriving, Aber got out of the vehicle “armed with a handgun and forcibly entered” the residence while his father was inside, authorities said.
“It was initially unclear whether [Aber’s father] was being held against his will,” the sheriff’s office said.
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A SWAT team with the sheriff’s office responded and tried to negotiate with Aber for several hours, authorities said.
Then deputies entered the home and detained Aber, who is now charged with murder in Niomi’s death, according to the sheriff’s office.
It was not immediately clear whether Aber had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
Before she died, Niomi had been in the custody of her aunt, according to a GoFundMe page established by Susan Keller Jackson in support of the girl’s funeral and burial expenses.
Her aunt had “lovingly stepped in as her legal guardian,” the page says.
“Niomi Rose was only 4 years old. A sweet, innocent, beautiful little girl with a bright smile that could light up any room,” the GoFundMe page reads. “She was full of life, love, and joy — the kind of child who should have had a lifetime of memories ahead of her. Instead, her life was taken far too soon, leaving behind a family shattered by grief and a community searching for answers.”
According to the sheriff’s office, additional charges could be filed in connection with Niomi’s death.
