A 29-year-old St. Louis woman faces child abuse charges after her 1-year-old daughter died from apparent starvation. Authorities say the girl received only 250 calories a day. Her 3-year-old sibling also showed severe signs of malnutrition.
Police responded Sunday to an apartment on the 4300 block of St. Ferdinand Avenue after Sausha Mia Myers called to report her daughter was unresponsive. Officers found the 1-year-old with no pulse and pronounced dead at the hospital. She weighed 10 pounds, far below the average of 24 pounds for her age.
Myers is charged with two counts of child abuse and neglect with serious physical injury. Court documents state she fed the girl only yogurt and fruit or vegetable pouches. The mother told investigators neither child had seen a doctor in a year.
The surviving 3-year-old weighed 17 pounds and had lanugo and bedsores. She remains hospitalized. Myers is held without bond at the St. Louis City Justice Center, with her next court date still pending. An autopsy is scheduled to confirm the cause of death.