5-year-old girl was emaciated and extremely malnourished at time of death, Baltimore police say

BALTIMORE - A 5-year-old girl who died at her East Baltimore home on Monday was described as emaciated and extremely malnourished, according to the police report.

The parents, Gerald Byrd, 34, and Bernice Byrd, 32, were arrested and charged with child abuse resulting in death, several counts of child abuse in the second degree and neglect. 

According to the police report, Bernice Byrd contacted her sister, concerned about her daughter, Zona, who was unresponsive in her bed at a home on Aiken Street. The aunt confirmed the child was in her bed, "not moving and ice cold," according to investigators.

Zona was pronounced dead by paramedics.

Children searching garbage for food

The police report shows that, when questioned, neither parent took responsibility for feeding their daughter and they could not recall the last time she ate or what she had to eat.

Gerald Byrd indicated Zona and one of her siblings were going through the garbage to find food. Neither parent could tell police when they last saw their child alive, according to investigators.

Three other children taken from home

According to police, three other children were taken from the East Baltimore home. One of them, just 6 years old, was also severely malnourished, only weighing 35 pounds. Detectives described him as gaunt and said he could barely walk. 

The other two children were placed in the care of relatives, according to police.

Detectives found the freezer packed with meat, a salad was in the refrigerator and a locked bedroom closet contained several non-perishable food items that were out of the children's reach.

Parents in court

Gerald Byrd appeared virtually in court on Wednesday at the Wabash District Courthouse, dressed in yellow prison garb. He was described as a part-time Amazon worker with four prior convictions, including assault in 2020, according to the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office. He was denied bail.

Bernice Byrd was scheduled to appear at the Hargrove District Court Building in South Baltimore, but her hearing was postponed. She remains on suicide watch in the medical unit at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women.

Bernice Byrd is due back in court on Thursday for a bail hearing and for a preliminary hearing in November. Gerald Byrd remains behind bars with no preliminary hearing scheduled.