Pa. parents charged with starvation murder of 3-year-old daughter who weighed 11 pounds
(CBS/AP) PHILADELPHIA - The parents of a 3-year-old girl from Philadelphia have been charged with murder after the disabled child died weighing only 11 pounds, according to CBS Philly.
Carlos Rivera and Carmen Ramirez were taken into custody after Nathalyz Rivera was found unresponsive Monday at the family's squalid home. The girl's death was later ruled a homicide. Her twin and three other siblings are now in protective custody.
The girl "had not seen a doctor in over a year, even with all the severe disabilities," said Homicide Capt. James Clark, who did not disclose the child's specific health problems.
CBS Philly reports investigators wore bio-hazard suits and masks at the crime scene Monday. They reportedly said the living conditions in the home were deplorable, with trash everywhere and an infestation of rodents.
Officials told the station Nathalyz weighted 11 pounds when she was admitted to a hospital Sunday night; a normal three-year-old weighs anywhere from 25 to 36 pounds.
"This is one of the worst cases of abuse that I've seen in my five years at the homicide unit," Capt. Clark said. "I saw the photos, and even for me, they were difficult to look at."
Rivera and Ramirez have been charged with third degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, conspiracy and endangering the welfare of a child, according to CBS Philly.
The other Rivera children - ages 9, 8 and 7, along with Nathalyz's 3-year-old twin - were being checked at a hospital before being placed with state officials.
