Mother charged in death of 14-year-old found ‘emaciated to a skeletal state’

MADISON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia mother has been charged in the death of her 14-year-old daughter, who was found “emaciated to a skeletal state,” according to officials and court documents.

The mother was arrested Wednesday and charged with child neglect causing death, Boone County Sheriff Chad Barker told news outlets.

Deputies responded to a report of a death at the home and found the girl in a bathroom and said her body was “emaciated to a skeletal state,” according to a criminal complaint filed in Boone County Magistrate Court.

The complaint said the teen had an eating disorder that led to “overwhelmingly visible conditions” and physical problems, but the mother hadn’t sought medical care for the child in at least four years.

An autopsy was being performed to determine the teen’s cause of death.

A court clerk said the mother hasn’t been assigned an attorney.