The Wisconsin mother of a disabled girl who reportedly died last year following months of unthinkable neglect was recently charged in connection with her death.
The Post Crescent reported that Appleton mother Nicole L. Gussert, 37, was charged Monday with child neglect resulting in death. Brianna Gussert, 13, died of sepsis during Memorial Day weekend after her mother allegedly abandoned her in a bedroom for several days.
Outagamie County District Attorney Melinda Tempelis said Nicole couldn’t recall the last time she fed her disabled daughter or changed her diaper. She reportedly hadn’t been bathed in more than a week.
Tempelis went on to reveal that the teen’s diaper weighed 1.25 pounds when she died.
The prosecutor explained in court Monday that Brianna was unable to walk, talk or care for herself. The mother’s ex-husband and girl’s father, Greg Gussert, was reportedly crying as he learned the graphic details of his daughter’s death.
“Some of the worst news I’ve ever heard. It’s unbelievable what she had to go through,” Greg told WLUK.
Law enforcement who conducted a welfare check at the Appleton home were reportedly taken aback by the poor living conditions. Authorities alleged the home was filled with flies, garbage, and dirty dishes.
The officer who discovered Brianna’s body in an upstairs bedroom wrote that there was “a smell in the air of rotten food, human waste, and death,” according to the Crescent. The teen was curled up in a bed with her head near the foot of the bed. Her her feeding tube was completely empty, the officer wrote.
The local newspaper also learned that Brianna was possibly dead for five days before someone found her.
“This poor child struggled and suffered immensely because her mom did not check on her at all,” Tempelis said, mentioning that Brianna likely suffered “a slow death.”
Nicole had also allegedly admitted that she hadn’t taken Brianna to school in several months because she didn’t feel like getting her ready in the morning and calling her out sick was easier.
In addition to neglect charges, the Wisconsin mother is also charged with three counts of possession with intent to deliver amphetamine. She’s being held on $300,000 bond.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 19.
[Featured image: Brianna Gussert/GoFundMe]
