The father and stepmother of three-year-old Aydah DiMaso, in a distressing case from Alabama, have both entered guilty pleas to charges stemming from her violent passing in 2021.
The case has since torched questions about systemic failures in the child welfare system, which allegedly ignored clear warnings that could have prevented the tragedy.
Aydah DiMaso was discovered lifeless in her father’s bathtub on October 4, 2021, bearing over 50 visible signs of trauma.
According to reports from WBRC, AL.com, and WSAZ, the brutality of the abuse Aydah suffered left investigators and family members devastated.
Nikolas Joseph DiMaso, her father, was swiftly charged with capital murder, while his girlfriend, Haley Dee Metz, later arrested, faced charges of aggravated child abuse.
The news of Aydah’s condition upon discovery, including fresh and older bruises, shocked the local community and sparked public outrage.
Etowah District Attorney Jody Willoughby recently confirmed that Haley Dee Metz, now 33, has pleaded guilty to aggravated child abuse in a “blind plea.”
This type of plea means that while Metz admitted her guilt, the length of her sentencing remains in the hands of the judge, who will deliver the verdict in November.
In a parallel development, Aydah’s father, Nikolas DiMaso, had earlier pleaded guilty to charges of capital murder and conspiracy to commit child abuse.
He will serve life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Details from the investigation revealed horrific physical abuse inflicted on Aydah by her father.
DiMaso reportedly admitted to slamming the child onto the ground and kicking her in the stomach.
The Gadsden Times, which covered the story in 2022, described the child’s injuries as alarming, indicating months of ongoing mistreatment.
A GoFundMe page created by Aydah’s family at the time of her death painted a picture of a joyful, loving little girl whose laughter brought happiness to everyone around her.
It also expressed the family’s anguish, highlighting that they had been actively fighting for custody of Aydah before her untimely death.
The family’s words on the page were heart-wrenching: “The system let her down, and so sadly, this tragedy was utterly preventable.”
Indeed, the family’s fight for justice did not end with DiMaso and Metz’s arrests.
In September 2022, Aydah’s grandmother, Shundra Davis, acting as the representative of her estate, filed a lawsuit against the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR).
The lawsuit accuses the DHR of failing to protect Aydah despite repeated warnings and documented cases of neglect and abuse involving DiMaso and Metz.
The lawsuit filed in Etowah County Circuit Court alleges that DHR and several of its caseworkers were negligent in their duties, allowing Aydah to remain in a dangerous environment despite clear signs of abuse.
According to Birmingham-based attorney Tommy James, who represents Aydah’s estate, the case reveals a systemic failure to protect vulnerable children like Aydah.
James outlined the details of Aydah’s situation in a statement, describing how DHR had been made aware of multiple complaints about the conditions in the household where Aydah lived.
These complaints included reports of neglect, drug use, filthy living conditions, and drastic changes in Aydah’s behaviour, all of which should have raised red flags.
Yet, despite these alarming signs, the lawsuit claims, DHR caseworkers failed to act decisively to remove Aydah from the home.
The lawsuit also names individual caseworkers from Etowah, Cherokee, and Jefferson counties as defendants, along with several unnamed DHR employees who are accused of violating or misinterpreting child protection laws.
The family is seeking punitive damages and accountability for what they believe was a preventable death.
A Preventable Tragedy?
In court documents, it is alleged that DHR caseworkers ignored crucial warning signs that could have saved Aydah’s life.
For instance, complaints had been lodged about DiMaso’s drug use, particularly his heroin addiction, and allegations of neglect.
Despite these complaints, DiMaso was reportedly never drug tested.
Additionally, the lawsuit contends that living conditions in the household were unacceptable, with animal faeces and urine present throughout the home.
Furthermore, there were documented reports of DiMaso’s frequent absences, leaving Aydah in the care of others.
The investigation following Aydah’s death revealed that the abuse had been ongoing for months.
Metz allegedly advised DiMaso to place Aydah in the bathtub after she was found unresponsive in an attempt to keep her body warm, further delaying the call for help.
The autopsy report later concluded that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.
However, it also highlighted that the cumulative effects of the abuse Aydah endured had caused her body to shut down.
Among the injuries noted in the report were healing arm and rib fractures, scratch marks, a deep foot laceration, and a shaved head.
The cruelty of the abuse Aydah suffered shocked both the family and the legal team working on the case.
“This case represents an egregious failure of the system that is supposed to protect our most vulnerable children,” said Tommy James in a statement.
“Aydah’s death could and should have been prevented. We are seeking justice for Aydah and accountability for those whose conduct resulted in her tragic death.”
“While these individuals must answer for their heinous actions, DHR’s repeated failures are equally at fault,” James remarked.
For Aydah’s family, the fight for justice is about more than just holding DiMaso and Metz accountable; it is also about ensuring that no other child suffers the same fate.
“This case is not just about Aydah; it is a wake-up call to every individual and institution tasked with protecting our children,” said James.
“The system failed Aydah at every turn. We owe it to her and every child in the system to ensure this never happens again. No child should suffer the way Aydah did.”
