On Friday, two parents from Riverside were charged with numerous offences including “severe child abuse.”
Maleah Renee Henry-Reed, 20, and Dustin William Shade, 25, were charged with endangering minors on four counts and tampering with evidence on one count, respectively, on Friday.
The 15l-month-old girl was sick on Tuesday, January 17, and Henry-Reed took her to Hope Medical Center in Dayton, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office.
The youngster was admitted to the intensive care unit at Dayton Children’s Hospital after being transported there right away by EMS. Due to reports of child endangerment from medical employees, Dayton police were called to the hospital.
According to Heck, the 15-month-old was so emaciated that her weight was less than 10 pounds, which is more in line with what a 15-week-old youngster would weigh.
Heck argued that it was absurd for any parent who values their children to permit them to become so malnourished or go without food and gain the weight that they did.
According to Heck, the Riverside Police Department was informed by the medical personnel at Dayton Children’s about the child’s poor condition because they suspected abuse.
A search warrant was obtained by Riverside police for the couple’s home.
The home was messy, didn’t appear to be clean, and reeked of urine throughout, according to Heck.
Shade, the child’s father, met the officers while cradling the couple’s five-year-old kid. The five-year-old was also rushed to the hospital, where it was discovered that he was critically underweight at barely 20 pounds.
“It’s incredibly challenging to think that nobody else spotted those kids. It’s hard to imagine that nobody else, including neighbours and family members, noticed the dangerously underweight youngsters and didn’t report it to the authorities, especially over the holidays, Heck added.
The probe also revealed that Henry-Reed is expecting the couple’s third child.
Currently being jailed on a $500,000 bond, Shade is being housed at the Montgomery County Jail. He will be charged on Tuesday, January 31.
Henry-Reed was freed after posting a bond. She will be charged on Thursday, February 9.
Heck claims that a motion for a bond increase to $1,000,000 for both Henry-Reed and Shade has been submitted to the court by the prosecutor’s office.
Heck stated, “There is just no reason for what these hungry kids went through. These accused parents practically starved their kids to death. Thankfully, the patients received the critical medical attention they required right away.
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