Source: Anna Kurzaeva / Getty
Teen mom Verphy Kudi has pled guilty in connection to the 2019 death of her 20-month-old daughter, Asiah Kudi, the BBC reports. Asiah’s body was discovered in Kudi’s Brighton apartment in December of 2019.
An autopsy revealed that the toddler had died as a direct result of neglect. Investigators say that she starved, became dehydrated, then developed the flu. According to The Daily Mail, the child was left at home alone without access to food or water while her mother left town for six days to celebrate her birthday in London, approximately 150 miles away.
Cameras outside of the family’s apartment show Kudi leaving December 5 and returning on December 11, which is when she called 999 to report that her baby would not wake up. After reviewing the footage, staff members of the housing agency where Kudi and the toddler lived notified police.
‘We are heartbroken and angry at how Verphy behaved. Verphy had been estranged from the family for quite a long time and we had minimal contact with her,” Kudi’s sister, Aisha Batrane, told the publication. “We have spoken to her and we’re still not clear what she was doing for those six days, who she was with and why she left like that? Who the hell knows? We can’t understand it.”
Investigators also admit that they were deeply troubled by the findings of the investigation.
“This was a particularly distressing case for my team and me to investigate, and has caused great sorrow amongst Verphy’s family and the many agencies that have supported Verphy and Asiah,” said detective Andy Wolstenholme. ”
Kudi has been the subject of several missing person investigations since she was 14 years old.
‘My heart is so broken. My daughter was missing. She had been missing since the age of 14.’ Kudi’s 59-year-old father, Muba Kudi, said during the hearing.
Kudi’s sentencing has been scheduled for May 28.
