Police officials said the 52-year-old mother, later identified as Amy, was taken into custody and later charged with multiple charges in connection with the malnourishment death of her 23-year-old daughter, Cora. On Monday, Court Commissioner Kevin found probable cause to sustain the charge and ordered her to remain detained in jail pending trial, according to the court documents.
During an interview with investigators, the mother reportedly said that she starved her daughter to death, who reportedly had severe autism, because she didn’t want to upset her with issues regarding her weight. In June 2023, the 52-year-old mother called 911 and told the dispatcher that she found her daughter Cora dead in bed. Amy was Cora’s legal guardian and full-time caregiver as of 2017 due to her daughter’s severe autism. First responders arrived on scene and found the young woman without a pulse, unable to breathe, and beyond medical help.
Police officials said the victim was extremely thin and emaciated. According to the court documents, she weighed all of 70 pounds at the time she died. Her hip bones and rib bones were visible through her skin, her eyes were sunken in, and she had almost no fatty tissue on her body, the report said. According to the court documents, Cora’s manner of death was homicide, with the caregiver failing to provide [her daughter] adequate hydration and nutrition. During an interview with investigators, the mother reportedly said that her daughter had not left their residence since the COVID-19 pandemic began and that she did not want to go to school, have visitors or go anywhere.
The mother also said that her daughter last saw a doctor in person 4 years ago. The mother also said that she knew her daughter had been getting ever thinner but thought she would bounce back. When asked by a detective if she ever considered calling emergency services to have her daughter taken to a hospital over her extreme weight loss, the defendant said she didn’t want to upset the young woman with issues regarding her weight. “I probably should have taken her in, I didn’t want to upset her more. That was always a goal of mine, to keep her calm,’” the mother reportedly said.
