Mother Accused Of Feeding Baby Extreme Diet Held For Court
UNIONTOWN (KDKA) -- The criminal case is proceeding against the mother accused of feeding her baby an extreme vegan diet.
A Fayette County magistrate decided there is enough evidence to hold the case for court. State police took 33-year-old Elizabeth Hawk to jail after her preliminary hearing.
A Fayette County magistrate judge decided there is enough evidence to hold the misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child for court. The allegations are that Hawk fed her baby boy, who was 11 months old at the time, an extreme vegan diet of only nuts and berries. The diet caused the baby to develop a painful rash from head to toe and impaired his cognitive development.
Relatives told KDKA that Elizabeth Hawk and the child's father, Jerry Hawk, were separated at the time, and the baby was primarily in his mother's care. When the charges were filed in October of 2016, the child's aunt told KDKA the rash had impaired the baby's motor skills to the point he could not use his hands.
Court records show the baby's attending physician called not treating the rash "inhumane." According to the doctor, the baby was also at a "failure to thrive level," leaving the child developmentally delayed as a result of malnourishment.
In November, a KDKA news crew got to meet baby Adrian when he was sitting with his father outside of the courtroom waiting to find out if the prosecution would proceed. The rash on his skin had cleared up, and the case was postponed from that date until Jan. 24, 2017.
The next court date for Hawk is Feb. 16, when she will have her formal arraignment.
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