Daisha Somers, a 27-year-old Ohio mother from Hocking County, faces multiple felony charges including two counts of murder for the 2022 death of her 10-month-old daughter, Ka’myla Somers, after forensic evidence revealed the infant’s catastrophic injuries were inflicted deliberately, not from an accidental fall as initially claimed.​
Injuries and Cause of Death
Ka’myla suffered seven skull fractures, stomach bleeding, blood in the urine, retinal hemorrhages indicative of shaken baby syndrome, multiple strokes, and extended cardiac arrest, all inconsistent with the parents’ story of a toddler bed fall. She was rushed to the hospital hours later in a private vehicle rather than by ambulance, showed no brain activity on life support, and died on November 23, 2022.​
Investigation Delay
Prosecutors took over three years to indict due to the case’s reliance on complex forensic analysis, expert medical testimony, and drug toxicology, dismissing prior child endangerment charges in 2023 to pursue murder via grand jury. Somers admitted to methamphetamine use, while her boyfriend Jerry Johnson admitted to marijuana and alcohol intoxication; he faces only child endangerment and was not charged with murder.​
Charges and Custody
Ohio AG Dave Yost announced charges of murder, involuntary manslaughter, felonious assault, corrupting another with drugs, child endangering, and aggravated drug possession; Somers was arrested in West Virginia and held without bond. This follows a 2020 incident where another of her infants suffered a broken arm and brain injury, raising prior red flags.​
Family and Community Impact
Ka’myla’s father, Charles, was left devastated, forgoing plans for her first birthday; a 2022 GoFundMe described her as a joyful, walking learner who loved cartoons. The case underscores Ohio’s aggressive stance on child abuse homicides, with murder convictions carrying 15 years to life.
