Suffolk Mother Pleads Not Guilty To Charges She Starved Young Children
HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) - A 21-year-old Long Island woman has been charged with manslaughter in the starvation death of her 10-month-old son.
Louisa Givens, of Ronkonkoma, was arraigned Monday in Suffolk County Court. She was charged in the death of her son and also with endangering the welfare of her 2 1/2-year-old daughter.
Givens called 911 last May and said she had found her son, Kayden Givens, unresponsive. He weighed 13 pounds at the time of his death, WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported.
Suffolk Mother Pleads Not Guilty To Charges She Starved Young Children
Prosecutors said the baby had been left unattended for at least 17 hours before Givens called for help.
The child was pronounced dead at a hospital. The medical examiner's office determined the boy died of malnutrition and dehydration.
The defendant's daughter, Ava Johnson, was treated for malnutrition and placed in foster care. She weighed 15 pounds when authorities intervened and had to be hospitalized for nine days, Hall reported.
Investigators said there was sufficient food in the house for the children when they were found.
The arrest took months because the little boy's autopsy wasn't completed until October, Hall reported.
Givens pleaded not guilty. Bail was set at $250,000 cash or $500,000 bond.
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