A Baltimore County mother pleaded guilty Monday to murdering her 1-year-old daughter in 2022, according to court officials. 

Police responded to a Southwest Baltimore home in October 2022 for reports of an unresponsive baby. 

Nyemia Gilliard's death was determined to be a homicide, and a medical examiner reported that she had multiple signs of trauma. 

In May 2023, the baby's mother, Aurielle Montgomery, was arrested in connection with the child's death. 

A police investigation revealed that Montgomery had full custody of Gilliard and was her only caregiver.  

In police documents, an unnamed person said that Gilliard was unresponsive and felt cold when he found her. The person told police that the 1-year-old was found lying in an "odd position" with her legs bent under her while she was lying with her back facing upward. 

Montgomery was charged with first-degree murder. 

Mother pleads guilty to murder of daughter

On Monday, Montgomery pleaded guilty to one count of depraved heart murder. The term is used when a person carries out a murder that shows a disregard for human life. 

According to our partners at The Baltimore Banner, Montgomery appeared in court Monday and withdrew her initial plea of not being criminally responsible. 

Montgomery faces up to 22 years in prison for her daughter's murder. She is scheduled to be sentenced on July 16, 2025, court officials said. 

Similar case of maternal filicide in Maryland 

Maternal filicide, or cases where a mother kills her child, are not unheard of in Maryland. 

In March, a Baltimore County mother was found unfit to stand trial after she was charged with killing her daughter, London Olsen. 

The child was found dead in the basement of her mother, Keyona Dillon's, home after police responded to a report of cardiac arrest. 

When on the scene, police noted that Dillon was acting erratically and refused to be interviewed. 

She was also accused of killing her children's four pets before choking and strangling her daughter.