Las Vegas woman booked on murder charge in death of 2-year-old daughter

A woman was booked on a murder charge Wednesday in the October death of her 2-year-old daughter at an apartment complex near McCarran International Airport.

Diana Eldridge, 23, was booked into the Clark County Detention Center at 5 p.m. Wednesday on one count of open murder and two counts of child abuse with substantial bodily harm.

The Clark County coroner’s office identified the child as Jasmine Sherfield of Las Vegas. A cause of death had not been determined as of Thursday.

Patrol officers responded about 7 a.m. Oct. 18 to the Bay Bridge Apartments, 5400 Maryland Parkway, near Russell Road. Medical personnel pronounced Jasmine dead at the scene.

The Metropolitan Police Department’s abuse and neglect team initiated an investigation, which indicated that Jasmine lived in the apartment with her mother and two siblings.

According to a statement released by the department Thursday, the investigation also indicated that Jasmine “had suffered from environmental and medical neglect for an extended period of time before her death.”

The Clark County Department of Family Services has looked into several allegations of abuse or neglect involving the girl, according to a disclosure statement posted after Jasmine’s death.

In July 2015, the agency found that an allegation of abuse and neglect involving the family was substantiated. It was not immediately clear what happened with that case.

Additional allegations of neglect were ruled unsubstantiated in January, May and June of this year.

The agency categorized a second June report of neglect as “information only,” saying the facts did not warrant an investigation.

Another report alleging neglect came in September. That case was still open at the time of the girl’s death.

Details about the family services investigations or the extent of the agency’s interventions were not available. Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin said state law bars officials from commenting on family services cases.

Review-Journal writer Mike Shoro contributed to this report. Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0391. Follow @WesJuhl on Twitter.