A West Virginia woman was arrested on charges of child neglect after her 14-year-old daughter became “so weak that she turned to skeleton” and died, police said.
Julie Ann Stone Miller, 44, was charged with child neglect resulting in death after her daughter died. found dead on the bathroom floor of his Charleston home, according to a criminal complaint.
Confirmed by next of kin To WOWKTV The teenager’s name was Kinedi Miller.
Another family member said the girl suffered from an eating disorder and had not eaten in months, according to the complaint. The official also said that the girl was unable to work for a week because she was unwell.
Prosecutors pointed to the child’s “obvious physical problems” as evidence of neglect by the mother. According to her complaint, she said the girl only went outside her home twice in the four years before her death.
Police said the daughter and her mother were living with her grandparents.
Julie Miller’s cousin Jessica Stone told WCHS-TV The family has been calling Child Protective Services and other law enforcement agencies for years to check on the situation.
On Tuesday, Republican West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice acknowledged that Child Protective Services had no knowledge of the case.
“From what I understand, the people at CPS didn’t know anything about this child. They didn’t know at all.” Said Justice at a virtual media briefing answering questions from WSAZ-TV.
“What can we do to prevent something like this from happening again?” he asked rhetorically, adding, “We should put more money into this, hire more workers, hire more You have to have the resources.”
a statement A professor with the West Virginia Department of Human Services warned the public not to make hasty decisions.
“Given the recent devastating loss of life in our community, it is important to understand that CPS cannot prevent all abuse and neglect,” the statement reads in part.
Julie Miller’s neighbors told WOWK they hadn’t seen the girl since 2019, but that she was in good health when they saw her at the time. They also said they witnessed state officials conducting several health checks at the home.
Police said the girl’s condition was so “shocking” that it left paramedics responding to the incident mentally shaken.
Ms. Stone described the girl as vibrant and full of life.
“She was a very beautiful, very smart, very funny girl,” Ms. Stone said. “Of course, we’re going to blame ourselves until the day she dies for not kicking down her door and demanding to see her,” Stone said.
Julie Miller is being held at Southwestern Regional Jail on $250,000 bail. If she is convicted, she faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
Details of this incident are as follows:
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