Gina Emmanuel Convicted: The Tragic Death of Samaya and the Abuse Hidden in Plain Sight

Gina Emmanuel, a licensed nurse and adoptive mother, was convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated child. Abuse in Florida led to the tragic death of her 7-year-old daughter, Samaya Emmanuel

In a devastating case that has shocked Florida and the nation, Gina Emmanuel, a licensed nurse and adoptive mother, was convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in connection with the death of her 7-year-old daughter, Samaya Emmanuel. The abuse endured by Samaya and her sisters before her death in November 2018 has been described by authorities as systematic, sadistic, and beyond comprehension.

According to prosecutors and court records, Emmanuel, who adopted Samaya and her siblings in 2017, subjected the children to a long campaign of physical and psychological abuse inside her Northeast Miami-Dade apartment. Samaya’s 2018 death initially appeared to be the result of untreated pneumonia, but investigators soon uncovered signs of prolonged torture and neglect.

Medical professionals and investigators found Samaya’s malnourished body covered in scratches, burns, open wounds, and bruises. Her injuries were so severe that emergency responders initially mistook her symptoms for drowning. An autopsy revealed she died from untreated pneumonia, worsened by systemic neglect.

Investigators allege that Emmanuel punished the children by burning their hands on stove burners, forcing them to drink bleach, and tying them to furniture. They were reportedly made to stand with arms outstretched for hours, chained to beds when Emmanuel left the house, and deprived of food and medical care. Her surviving daughters, aged 6 and 12 at the time, testified in court that Emmanuel beat them with belts, brushes, and back scratchers. One testified, “She would chain us… until she got back.”

Authorities say the abuse went unnoticed for years due to a dangerous loophole: once the children were adopted, the required monthly check-ins from child services ended. Between 2012 and 2015, Samaya’s name had appeared in 10 child abuse hotline reports, but after her adoption, she essentially disappeared from oversight.

Despite Samaya’s death in November 2018, Emmanuel retained her nursing license and continued operating a group home for disabled individuals in Miami. It wasn’t until October 2019 that she was arrested. Her nursing license was suspended only after public outcry and state intervention.

The surviving children were removed from Emmanuel’s home and placed in foster care. In 2019, a judge terminated Emmanuel’s parental rights, citing the ongoing danger she posed. One of Samaya’s sisters testified courageously during the trial, helping ensure a conviction.

“The guilty verdict… brought to light the horrors 7-year-old Samaya so tragically suffered before her death,” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said. “No one could ever imagine that a trained nurse would beat, torture, and starve Samaya and her sisters as a means of discipline.”

Emmanuel is scheduled to be sentenced later this month. She faces life in prison.