Inset: Hashabah Yehudah (Hall County Jail). Background: The apartment complex in Oakwood, Georgia, where Yehudah’s son was reportedly found weighing 49 pounds (Google Maps).
A 44-year-old Georgia woman was arrested after cops found her 14-year-old son lying in a bed weighing just 49 pounds.
Hashabah Yehudah is facing accusations of second-degree child cruelty, as stated by the Oakwood Police Department. The inquiry began on July 25 when Yehudah allegedly ignored medical advice to take her son to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. A press release accessed by Law&Crime mentioned that officers performed a welfare check on the child at the apartment in the 3400 block of Peaks Circle.
An incident report obtained by local ABC affiliate WSB revealed that medical professionals had continuously attempted to contact the mother regarding the urgent need for her son’s medical attention. However, she reportedly evaded these calls. Upon the officers’ arrival, the boy’s brother opened the door, indicating that he was in the bedroom. Officers found the boy “skinny and lying on a towel on the bed,” as per the complaint.
According to the press release, when asked why she did not take her son to the hospital, Yehudah claimed she intended to raise his iron levels first. She stated that, had she known it was critical, she would have taken him to the hospital immediately.
Officials contacted the Division of Family and Children Services and Children’s Healthcare, verifying that the boy’s health condition was dire, necessitating immediate hospital transport.
The affidavit reportedly said that the situation was an “emergency and the child’s life is in danger.”
Cops arrested Yehudah and took her to the Hall County Jail where she remains without bond. It’s unclear if she has retained an attorney.
Neighbors said they tend to keep an eye out for the kids in the complex, but they had not seen the boy.
“I tell you, this community here is a community full of people that love and look out for each other’s kids,” neighbor D.M. Willis shared with WSB. “And it’s regrettable that one case slipped through the cracks, and we weren’t aware of it.”
The boy remains in the hospital and is in the custody of child services.
