Jury finds mother guilty in death of Gwinnett County child

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GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County jury says a mother accused of helping hide her daughter's body has been found guilty on several counts.

Ruiz was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, cruelty to children and concealing the death of a child -- but not murder.

Prosecutors insisted Ruiz not only failed to seek help for her 2-year-old daughter Prissi in 2007, but also helped hide her body in the attic of her Lawrenceville home and willingly fled to Mexico.

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Ruiz claims she was kidnapped and left only because her ex-husband threatened to kill her.

A tape of a conversation between Ruiz and a Gwinnett homicide detective in 2008 was played in court.

Ruiz: "He told me he was going to do it. he told me to do it and I said, 'No I can't do it. I can't do it.'"
Detective: "But he wanted to hide the baby because that would give y'all more time to get to Mexico. If he just left it out somebody might find it."
Ruiz: "Yeah. He supposedly. That's what he said."

The toddler died in 2007, but her body wasn't found until 18 months later. It was badly decomposed, wrapped in garbage bags in the attic.

Ruiz's ex-husband will also face a murder trial at a later date.