There's a horrifying story today out of Philadelphia. A three-year-old girl was found dead early Monday morning--and she weighed only 11 pounds at the time of her death. This afternoon, her parents were charged with starving her to death.
On Tuesday, Philadelphia authorities charged Nathlayz Rivera's parents with the girl's starvation murder.
The girl, who was severely disabled, was found unresponsive in the city's West Oak Lane neighborhood. Authorities ruled her starvation death a homicide.
Police took the victim's father, Carlos Rivera, into custody late Monday afternoon after they spent much of the day searching for him. Police say Rivera, 30, initially found his twin daughter, Nathlayz, unresponsive around midnight in the family's bug-infested home in the 7300 block of Sommers Road.
"Instead of going to police and the ambulance, he called the mother, who was over at a male friend's house," said Philadelphia Police Captain James Clark. "The mom and friend came to the house, took the baby, and transported her to the E.R. where she was pronounced. The medical examiner ruled this a homicide, manner of death, starvation."
The mother, Carmen Ramirez, was later arrested. Ramirez, 27, and Rivera both face third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, criminal conspiracy and child endangerment charges, according to police. Rivera was arraigned Tuesday morning while Ramirez was expected to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon.
Ramirez and Rivera took Nathlayz to Eastern Hospital early Monday morning, and doctors were concerned enough about Nathlayz' condition that they called police.
According to WPVI-TV, Nathlayz had Down's syndrome and other special needs, and showed signs of being bitten by fleas, rodents and insects. She also had a chronic disorder and was blind in one eye. Despite all this, she hadn't seen a doctor in over a year.
Ramirez and Rivera had four other kids as well. They're all safe and sound, and in the custody of the Department of Human Services.
Homicide detectives visited Ramirez and Rivera's house earlier this morning. The conditions there were so poor that they had to wear full protective suits.
By all accounts, Ramirez and Rivera were simply overwhelmed by caring for their five kids. Still, there is no excuse whatsoever for making children live in such conditions. I have to wonder how this isn't first-degree murder.