Mom cries in Connecticut courtroom; indicted for killing her toddler in Bertie County

BERTIE COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - A mother cried in a Connecticut courtroom this morning as a judge told her she was being held on a $2 million bond after her indictment in Bertie County for killing her two-year-old daughter.

Raja Drain was arrested last night at her home in Wethersfield after a disturbance call. Connecticut police say they quickly learned the woman was wanted in North Carolina on a murder charge.

Bertie County Sheriff Tyrone Ruffin said at a late morning news conference that Jamie Drain died last December “at the hands of her mother.”

The two-year-old died on December 2 from blunt force trauma to the head at a home on Jack Branch Road, outside of Lewiston Woodville, according to an autopsy.

“My baby is gonna get justice,” said Jamie’s dad, Donta Valentine. “It’s been a long road. If it weren’t for my family, I don’t think I’d have made it this far.”

Raja Drain was indicted yesterday for murder and felony child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury.

According to the sheriff, doctors told investigators that the injuries could not have been caused by another child. He said Drain was the only adult in the home at the time.

“She’s innocent until proven guilty, but with the work my team has done, I feel confident that justice will be served,” Sheriff Ruffin said.

An autopsy released last month says the two-year-old had been returned to her mother after being taken into DSS custody following a child abuse case.

The autopsy said the mother was in the kitchen cooking while her daughter was playing. “The decedent was standing in the kitchen eating when the mother heard a thud,” the autopsy said. The mother turned around and found the child had fallen face-first, striking her forehead, the document said.

DHHS took over child welfare services in the county on August 15, citing the child’s death. It’s the second time in three years that the state has come in and taken over county operations.

Drain also faces a fugitive from justice charge in Connecticut, and Sheriff Ruffin said they are starting the process of bringing her back to North Carolina to face charges.