A Roanoke Rapids area woman remains in the Halifax County Detention Center after she was charged Thursday with felony child abuse counts.

The charges against Candice Demetris Davis, 33, center around a June 18 report that Roanoke Rapids police had forwarded to the Halifax County Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division, according to Major Anzell M. Harris.

The police department had been notified of a child abuse case by social services which was determined to have occurred outside its jurisdiction.

The case involved a child under the age of 1, who was taken to a local hospital. There hospital staff determined that the child had a broken femur and that narcotics were found in its system.

Detective C. Watkins of the sheriff’s office said this afternoon he was awaiting a full toxicology report from the hospital.

Davis was the child's godmother.

The child’s biological mother had lost custody of the child, although the detective said it was not immediately clear why.

Harris said in a statement that Watkins learned the alleged abuse occurred just outside of the city limits.

Davis had custody of the child for a time but at the time of the reputed abuse was not supposed to.

Davis was taken into custody at her residence Thursday and served with warrants for two counts of felony child abuse and one count of felony abduction of children for which she received a $40,000 secured bond. She was also served an outstanding warrant for failure to appear, which detention center records show was for felony possession of cocaine. She received a $500 cash bond for that charge.

She has an August 29 district court date for all charges lodged Thursday.

The child’s biological mother was granted temporary custody, Harris said. 

Watkins said the child appears to be doing well.