An Alabama mom is accused of “extreme” neglect in the horrific death of her 12-year-old disabled daughter — who was found severely malnourished with maggots in her diaper, authorities said.
Leslie Denise Wilson, 35, of Gadsden in northeast Alabama, was hit with murder charges Monday for allegedly causing the death of the girl, who had cerebral palsy, according to prosecutors cited by WDBJ7.
The child was found in her bedroom dehydrated with pneumonia and marks on her body, according to police.
Cops first responded to a report of a natural death of a child — but investigators later found she was so badly neglected, she weighed only 32 pounds and had live maggots in her diaper, Major Crimes Division Det. Alec Burgess said at a heartbreaking hearing.
The girl, who was not identified, relied on a feeding tube, and police alleged that Wilson instructed the girl’s younger siblings to care for her, despite little food in their home, Burgess said.
Her autopsy revealed that she died from sepsis and her death was ruled a homicide, Burgess said.
Wilson did “did torture, willfully mistreat, cruelly beat or otherwise willfully mistreat” the girl between May 1 and June 17, according to criminal complaint cited by People.com
The child was subjected to “ongoing and extreme medical and/or physical neglect causing serious physical injury” and died as a result, it states.
