A 24-year-old Michigan mother has been charged with murder in the death of her 18-month-old daughter, a little girl who weighed 13 pounds at the time of her death.
Grand Rapids Police also found the girl’s win brother in “life-threatening condition,” WOOD reported. The boy was taken to a hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
First responder were unable to save the toddler, identified as Skii Swope, when they arrived on the scene late Monday afternoon. An arrest affidavit says the girl had sunken eyes and visible bone along with deep wounds that her mother, Brooklynne Davis, said came from diaper rash.
Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom said the scene in the house was one of the “top three most horrific things I have ever seen in my life.”
An autopsy ruled the girl’s death a homicide.
“(The examiner) determined that she died of starvation and malnutrition,” accordingd to the affidavit, which lists Skii’s weight as 13 pounds. “He explained that this would be an intentional act not to feed a child to this extent and that Skii was also extremely dehydrated.”
An 8-year-old child was also found at the home but did not need medical care, WWMT reported. Child Protective Services took custody of the child because of the conditions in the house.
The affidavit said the home was invested with lice, bedbugs, and other pests and that the bathtub was filled with dirty water with a layer of film on top. The three children slept together on a single mattress, and the entire apartment smelled.
An emaciated dog lived in the apartment as well.
The document also says that Davis told investigators the twins’ primarily ate protein shakes, chicken nuggets, pancakes, and French toast sticks, and drank water.
WOOD reported that Davis never contacted a doctor, even though she noticed the twins were losing weight. She said that she had put the children to bed about 8 p.m. the night before discovering the girl dead but did not check on them until 10 a.m. he next day.
“Skii appeared to be sleeping still so she did not check on her, not wanting to wake her,” the document says. “Brooklynne did not check on Skii again until around (3 p.m. or 3:30 p.m.) that day, almost another five to five and a half hours. At this time, Skii was deceased and Brooklynne described her as dead weight and cold to the touch.”
Davis was charged with felony murder and first degree child abuse. At arraignment, she was ordered held without bond.
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[Featured image: Brooklynne Davis/Kent County Jail]
