An Indiana woman has been charged with capital murder after allegedly drowning a 4-year-old girl while attempting to “baptize” her in the bathtub. The incident took place in September 2023 while she was babysitting relatives in Spring, Texas.
Authorities stated that the woman, 39-year-old Nakia Martin, had been caring for the children while their mother was away. On the morning of September 9, Martin reportedly noticed the child was unresponsive and contacted a family member before calling for emergency assistance. When police arrived, they found the child in a bedroom, cold to the touch, and pronounced her dead at the scene.
Investigators noted that a large, dirty Jacuzzi tub was in the bathroom adjacent to where the child’s body lay, with puddles of water surrounding it. Martin appeared distressed and spoke with officers, recounting how she had bathed the child and applied lotion to her and one of her siblings the night before. When questioned, she struggled to recall details of the evening, at one point saying, “I don’t think so,” when asked if she had reported a drowning. She later admitted, “I killed a kid,” but insisted she did not mean to do so.
Two surviving children, ages 6 and 8, provided disturbing accounts of the events. Both mentioned “something happened, the Devil,” and referred to the lotion Martin used as “blessing oil.” Their mother, who had spoken to Martin in a FaceTime call the night before, saw all three children in the tub and found Martin’s behavior concerning. She had reportedly been speaking erratically and “ranting about God.” The children later told investigators that Martin had been “trying to baptize them” and had spoken of God revealing something to them.
A follow-up interview with the surviving daughter revealed that Martin allegedly held her younger sister underwater, causing her to bleed. She also claimed Martin tried to drown her as well and later warned her to keep quiet, threatening her with Hell. The surviving boy, who had been in the tub at the time, described seeing his sister struggling to breathe and pulling Martin’s hair. When he attempted to intervene, Martin allegedly stopped him and forced the girl underwater again.
Martin was arrested in December 2024 following an investigation that involved multiple interviews and an autopsy report. She was extradited to Harris County, Texas, where she now faces a charge of capital murder of a child under 10 years old. Her next court appearance is scheduled for March 20.
