A Columbia mother and her boyfriend are facing murder charges in Howard County following a yearlong investigation into the 2025 death of her 3-year-old child.

Kathleen Amesbury, 28, and Dale Brown Jr., 25, of Hanover, Pennsylvania, were arrested Friday in Pennsylvania, said Howard County Police in a news release.

Charges and attorneys for the couple were not yet listed in court records Friday evening, but police said both face charges of second-degree murder, first- and second-degree child abuse, involuntary manslaughter and neglect of a minor.

Police said hospital staff contacted them on March 26, 2025, after the child arrived with severe injuries by ambulance from a residence in the 7200 block of Procopio Circle in Columbia. The child was pronounced dead two days later, according to police.