Man pleads guilty to killing baby, burying her in woods outside Myrtle Beach
A man will serve 15 years in prison for killing a baby and leaving her remains in the woods outside Myrtle Beach.
Daquan Simmons pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for the death of 8-month-old Aaliyana McCoy in July 2017. He entered his plea in Horry County court this week.
Judge Steven John sentenced Simmons to 15 years in prison, the 15th Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office announced Friday.
Myrtle Beach police started an investigation in September 2017 about a missing child, assistant solicitor Mary Ellen Walter said at a previous hearing. Investigators determined the baby, 8-month-old Aaliyana McCoy, died in July the same year.
The baby’s mother, LaDasha Harriett, also was charged in connection to the case. Simmons was Harriett’s boyfriend and the two lived together. Walters said Harriett told officers that Simmons beat the baby to death, left the apartment with Aaliyana in a car seat and returned without the baby.
Several days later, Simmons went back to the field in the Socastee area where he left Aaliyana and buried her in a shallow grave, Walters said.
Harriett led police to the field, where officers found the child’s remains, investigators said. Harriett later pleaded guilty in connection to the case, and she is scheduled to be sentenced next week.
This story was originally published May 15, 2020 at 11:07 AM.
