Westmoreland County couple faces felony child neglect charges
GREENSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) — A Westmoreland County couple faces felony child neglect charges after their children were allegedly found so malnourished that officials reported one was close to death and the other could not stand up.
Troopers charged the 27-year-old Jordan Heidt and 31-year-old Heather Johnson on Friday after an anonymous ChildLine call led law enforcement to their home on 2nd Street in Unity Township in March.
The two children were removed from the home and rushed to UPMC Children's Hospital. A 1-year-old boy was found to be malnourished, developmentally delayed and emaciated with sparse hair growth. The boy was also unable to sit up. According to doctors, his muscles were so underdeveloped that his neck was unable to support his head. Doctors added that he was left to lay in his crib for so long that the side of his head was flat and had the muscle development of a 1-month-old child.
The couple's 2-year-old daughter had very low muscle mass, couldn't stand up, was malnourished, and could barely speak, according to doctors.
"It's a shame," neighbor Noah Gnibus said. "Completely upsetting, especially with kids like that having to grow up with something like that."
Johnson and Heidt are expected to turn themselves in on Monday.