St. Louis Mom Accused Of Fatally Starving 20-Month-Old Daughter
‘Less Than 250 Calories A Day’ — St. Louis Mother Of Two Accused Of Starving 20-Month-Old Daughter To Death - Page 2
A police investigation determined that the younger child of Sausha Myers, 29, consumed less than 250 calories a day. She has been charged with two counts of abuse or neglect of a child.
Source: Sausha Myers / Credit: St. Louis City Justice Center
A St. Louis mom has been charged with two counts of abuse or neglect of a child after her 20-month-old daughter died of what appeared to be extreme malnutrition.
Court documents obtained by KMOV, Fox 2 Now, and KSDK revealed that Sausha Myers, 29, was charged on June 13 after her two children were allegedly found emaciated in their family home in the 4300 block of St. Ferdinand.
According to KMOV, officers arrived at the home to find the child lying on the living room floor after Myers called the police to report that her 20-month-old daughter was nonresponsive and breathing slowly.
Also found inside the residence was another 3-year-old girl. Both children appeared to be malnourished and were taken to St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
Court documents stated that the younger child weighed just 10 pounds and appeared to have pressure marks and bedsores on her back and head, according to KMOV and Fox 2 Now.
Sadly, she was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.
The 3-year-old child remains in the hospital. In a probable cause statement, she was described as being very malnourished, weighing only 17 pounds and three ounces, per KSDK.
Court documents also stated that she had lanugo, a fine, downy type of body hair often present in fetuses, newborns, and babies, developed for thermoregulation and protection.
According to the National Library of Medicine, lanugo grows to help insulate the body in disease states such as malnutrition and anorexia nervosa, where thermoregulation becomes disrupted.
Myers confirmed that she is the sole caregiver of both children. She has been held without bond since being taken into custody at the hospital.
She also admitted that neither child had visited a pediatrician in more than a year, despite her being aware that both girls were not meeting their developmental milestones, reported KMOV and Fox5, citing the court documents.
Detectives determined that the younger child consumed less than 250 calories per day upon further investigation into their living conditions, per KMOV. Allegedly, Myers said her youngest daughter’s diet consisted mostly of vegetable and fruit pouches and yogurt.
