Doctor charged in Ohio teen's malnutrition death
Jul 26, 2012
The doctor of a 14-year-old girl who had cerebral palsy and weighed 28 pounds
when she died in southwest Ohio has been charged with failing to report child
abuse or neglect in the death.
Montgomery County's prosecutor says Dr. Margaret Edwards was charged Wednesday with three counts of the misdemeanor in juvenile court in Dayton.
The prosecutor says Edwards was Makayla Norman's doctor from July 2010 until the girl's March 1, 2011, death from nutritional and medical neglect complicated by her chronic condition.
Edwards was required to report any abuse, Mathias Heck, Jr., the Montgomery County prosecutor said, according to the Dayton Daily News.
The girl's mother pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and endangering children and was sentenced to nine years in prison. Three nurses have pleaded not guilty in the case and await trial.
"As with the other defendants, the defendant utterly ignored her responsibilities and failed to report the obvious signs of neglect of Makayla," he told the paper.
The Dayton Daily News reported that Makayla weighed 28 pounds at her death and she had open bedsores and she was infested with lice, among other things.
Edwards has declined to comment.
The above story is heartbreaking but there is another issue involved. I have tried to contact child's services myself to report an unfit mother and was told that unless there were signs of physical abuse (burns, bruises, broken bones) that having head lice or being dirty was not a crime. I hope that they documented that they tried to report as it may be their only defense. Children should be taken care of to the maximum ability and beyond. The child was only in the doctor's care for 8 months. How many times did her ever lay eyes on this patient? How many times did the nurses see this patient? The Mother of this child should be the first to be charged and then go down the list. What say you?
Montgomery County's prosecutor says Dr. Margaret Edwards was charged Wednesday with three counts of the misdemeanor in juvenile court in Dayton.
The prosecutor says Edwards was Makayla Norman's doctor from July 2010 until the girl's March 1, 2011, death from nutritional and medical neglect complicated by her chronic condition.
Edwards was required to report any abuse, Mathias Heck, Jr., the Montgomery County prosecutor said, according to the Dayton Daily News.
The girl's mother pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and endangering children and was sentenced to nine years in prison. Three nurses have pleaded not guilty in the case and await trial.
"As with the other defendants, the defendant utterly ignored her responsibilities and failed to report the obvious signs of neglect of Makayla," he told the paper.
The Dayton Daily News reported that Makayla weighed 28 pounds at her death and she had open bedsores and she was infested with lice, among other things.
Edwards has declined to comment.
The above story is heartbreaking but there is another issue involved. I have tried to contact child's services myself to report an unfit mother and was told that unless there were signs of physical abuse (burns, bruises, broken bones) that having head lice or being dirty was not a crime. I hope that they documented that they tried to report as it may be their only defense. Children should be taken care of to the maximum ability and beyond. The child was only in the doctor's care for 8 months. How many times did her ever lay eyes on this patient? How many times did the nurses see this patient? The Mother of this child should be the first to be charged and then go down the list. What say you?
What a tragic story! Unfortunately, I too have had difficulty with child services. I once saw a 12 year old girl who was having a "relationship" with her 18 year old half brother. I called DCS and was told they had already investigated the situation and were not taking action. Unbelievable.
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