suburban Atlanta, Georgia, has been charged in the death of a 2-year-old, authorities said.

The baby sitter is accused of felony murder and cruelty to children, according to Lt. Steve Rose, spokesman for the Sandy Springs Police Department.

The baby sitter, who is a daughter of a co-worker of the victim's mother, was caring for Zyda White late Saturday. The mother of the 2-year-old called 911 from the baby sitter's home after returning to pick up her child, police said.

Zyda was take to Scottish Rite Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, Rose said in a statement. An autopsy indicated she suffered blunt-force trauma to her head, torso and buttocks, CNN affiliate WSB reported.

Zyda's mother, Ashlea Collier, told CNN affiliate WSB her daughter's eyes were wide open when she got there. The baby sitter's mother started CPR. The 11-year-old told her that Zyda had fallen out of bed, that she put her back and gave her apple juice, Collier said.

Sandy Springs police are conducting interviews and examining evidence from the autopsy.

The 11-year-old was taken Tuesday to the Metro Youth Detention Center in Fulton County.

It was unclear whether the case will be handled by juvenile authorities.

My first question is why is an 11 year old babysitting a two year old in the first place. You have to be 13 to babysit in my state......11 years old is too young to take responsibility for a child the age of two........sounds like the mother was negligible in her decisions as well........

My first question is why is an 11 year old babysitting a two year old in the first place. You have to be 13 to babysit in my state......11 years old is too young to take responsibility for a child the age of two........sounds like the mother was negligible in her decisions as well........

each state is differnt when it comes to the age of child babysitting another for here in oregon the law is 10 as my daughter would let my grandson watch his syblings at that age when she just went to the store
it was nothing big like her going out for the eve. if that was the case i would had been there watching them.. but yet there had been a time or two i had noticed my grandson would take over when he didnt need to when it came to his little sister

I have never left my children with anyone below the age of 16, but hey that is me........personally, I dont care how mature the 11 or 12 years old is with children.......there are still certain instances or ocurences that these children are not prepared to handle.........heck there are situations it doesnt matter how old you are that are difficult to handle........never did understand having children care for other children.......

My first question is why is an 11 year old babysitting a two year old in the first place. You have to be 13 to babysit in my state......11 years old is too young to take responsibility for a child the age of two........sounds like the mother was negligible in her decisions as well........

Exactly! Don't get me wrong, there's some 11 y/o who are more responsible than others, but c'mon! I don't know of a single 11 y/o that should be looking after a 2 y/o. For that matter, I don't know if I'd trust most teenageers looking after a 2 y/o! The mother with no doubt should be held for at least partial (if not most) responsible. Just cause a 5 y/o can hold a sign or a flashlight, should they be directing traffic? I didn't think so. So why should a 11 y/o watch an infant?

the legal side of it is whatever the limit the state dictates on age, which can be as low as 11

the personal side of it, is that traffic direction is more than just HOLDING a sign, its knowing how to USE the sign effectively to direct

childrens roles are varied quite a bit by culture,, what we in america often decide children cant or shouldnt do,,,they have already been doing for centuries in other cultures quite well

many children tend to their younger siblings,,thats actual EXPERIENCE performing the task,, not just some symbolic part of it(like holding a sign). there are other children who have single parents who spend a great deal of time working to provide financially and so they learn through repetition how to step in and physically nurture their siblings ,,,my mom was one of those and so are my brothers,,,, its not so uncommon in asian or african cultures either

its more a question of the SPECIFIC child in question and there experience and maturity

I hear that sentiment alot,,,I really do attribute it to culture, some cultures teach responsibilities at younger ages than others i wouldnt want a CHILDISH adult taking care of my kids but a responsible one,,,,,,,Im from a culture that emphasizes responsibility from a young age, so it doesnt seem so foreign to me for children to have the basic nurturing and caretaking skills to look after those smaller than the(temporarily, not 24/7) and for responsible children to be trusted to do so

All true. Even though, 'the state' doesn't always know what's best.

Knowing how to use that traffic sign is exactly the point I was trying to make.

Yes, in different cultures children are used to different things. At one time, even in this country it was the norm (because it had to be that way), but things have changed (for the most part). Absolutely true that it depends on what that child is used to, but that can be a very fine line (or sometimes not)of where the state overrides the parents.

This happened in Georgia, and they are charging the 11yr old babysitter with Murder not Manslaughter. While this situation is tragic but since when in Georgia is an 11 yr old considered responsible for their actions?