An Alabama woman is accused of ignoring her 12-year-old daughter for more than a month while the medically vulnerable girl deteriorated and died from sepsis with live maggots in her diaper.
Leslie Denise Wilson, 35, faces a murder charge, jail records show.
A criminal complaint obtained by local Fox affiliate WBRC said the girl endured “ongoing and extreme medical and/or physical neglect causing serious physical injury” from May 1 until her death on June 17.
Police in Gadsden, about 60 miles northeast of Birmingham, responded to the girl’s home after authorities initially described the death as natural.
But testimony from a Gadsden police officer during an Aniah’s Law hearing Tuesday indicated the death was anything but natural. Aniah’s Law allows judges to deny bond to defendants accused of certain violent crimes.
Det. Alec Burgess described the dire condition in which he found the girl, who had cerebral palsy and relied on a feeding tube, according to a courtroom report by WBRC.
The girl, who has not been identified, had marks on her body and weighed only 32 pounds, Burgess reportedly testified. The average weight for a 12-year-old girl is about 92 pounds.
Police also found live maggots in her diaper. Burgess reportedly testified that the girl had pneumonia and was malnourished and dehydrated when she died.
Wilson allegedly told the girl’s siblings to care for her, but the home did not have enough food.
Records show authorities booked Wilson into the Etowah County Jail on Monday. She remains jailed without bond. Her next court date was not immediately listed.
The Alabama Department of Human Resources is also investigating the case.
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