Authorities in Indiana have taken into custody the parents of an 8-month-old girl who was discovered weighing a mere nine pounds, suffering from severe malnutrition.
According to the Jennings County Sheriff’s Office, Benjamin Tackett and Kayla Thompson, both aged 25, routinely confined their baby in a room for up to 10 hours at a stretch while they slept.
Following an investigation, the state’s Department of Child Services removed the baby and other children from the household. The probe revealed the infant was also suffering from hygiene neglect, severe dermatitis, and developmental issues.
The sheriff’s office reported that Tackett and Thompson confessed to “knowingly neglecting the child,” explaining that they were “exhausted after work” and would lock the baby away “to get some sleep.”
A probable cause affidavit highlighted that the parents admitted to missing several doctor appointments for their daughter and attributed her dangerously low weight to a “lack of effort from mom and dad,” according to Law&Crime.
The sheriff’s office stated that both parents face charges of two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, along with two additional counts of neglect of a dependent.
They are due in court on November 13.
