ORANGE COUNTY, N.C. — The mother of a 2-year-old who authorities believe was scalded to death said Wednesday that she hopes the suspect in the case, her former best friend, "gets justice in the end for what she has done."
Jamie Wilson, 21, was charged last week with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Briana Faucette, who died as a result of second- and third-degree burns she suffered on more than 40 percent of her body, according to investigators.
In an exclusive interview with WRAL, Briana's mother, Sherry Faucette described the ordeal she and her family have faced the past week, including the reality that Wilson, her one-time best friend, up until a week ago, and daughter's godmother, was a suspect in the child's death.
"I do hope that she gets justice in the end for what she has done," Faucette said. "I wish that she would just tell the truth about everything, which hasn't happened yet -- because that would make it easier for us."
In a 911 call released Wednesday, Wilson told a 911 dispatcher that that she awoke from a sleep to find the child lying dead on the floor.
"I told her to get up and she wouldn't get up," Wilson told the dispatcher. "And she's dead. She's not breathing, and she's cold."
At no point during the call, however, does Wilson mention that the child had been burned.
The 911 account, however, is different than what police maintain in a
search warrant
, in which they state Wilson told them that she was boiling some water for tea when it spilled on the floor and that the child sat in it.
The state medical examiner, however, concluded that sitting in the water on the floor could not have caused the child's injuries. According to authorities, the backs of the child's legs, behind her knees, were severely scalded, as though she had curled up in a ball while being dipped in hot water.
Authorities said last week that the child might have suffered for hours without treatment before she died. Orange County District Attorney Jim Woodall also suggested that there were other instances of abuse, saying that there were other injuries that were not burns on the child's body.
Neighbors told WRAL that they had heard a child's screams.
"She said it was her -- the little girl, the godchild -- and said she was just sad her mother had left," said Cindy Treshyl, who asked Wilson about the screams. "But it wasn't that kind of scream. It was a horrifying, terrible scream."
Wilson, who is currently being held in the Orange County Jail, is expected to appear in court Friday morning for a bond hearing.
As for Faucette, who described her daughter as bright, friendly and a "good big sister," she just wants the world to know the truth.
"Every morning, we wake up and think it's just a nightmare -- that she's just going to come walking down the hallway," Faucette said. "It's been very difficult. It's hard to deal with -- it's hard to lose your daughter and then know your best friend had something to do with it."
• Credits
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
