Left: Marcus Maddela (Bucks County DA’s Office). Right: Courtney Soyka (Bucks County DA’s Office).
A Pennsylvania couple has been sentenced following a grievous oversight that left their infant twins “dangerously malnourished” due to inadequate feeding.
Courtney Soyka, aged 33, received a jail term ranging from 364 to 729 days after admitting guilt to two counts of child endangerment, according to a statement from the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office. More details can be found in their official announcement.
Similarly, Marcus Maddela, 45, was given a sentence of 8 to 23 months in prison, following his guilty plea to related charges at the end of October.
Bucks County Assistant District Attorney Bridget Murphy described the situation as “extremely disturbing” during the sentencing hearing held on Thursday.
Their twins, born approximately two months early in October 2024, faced significant challenges from the start.
At birth, one twin weighed 4.16 pounds and the other 3.74 pounds. Both required intensive care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with frequent weight monitoring. Although released to their parents’ care, the children subsequently missed four critical follow-up appointments, as reported by the district attorney’s office.
On Dec. 11, 2024, the parents brought the infants back to the hospital. But the signs were troubling.
“At the time of their return, the babies were dangerously malnourished and fell below the first percentile for their age,” the DA’s office said.
The twin who was 4.16 pounds at birth had only gained 1.62 pounds, while the other child had only gained 1.3 pounds.
The twins were then “immediately transferred” to St. Christopher’s Hospital, a pediatric acute care hospital in Philadelphia, according to law enforcement.
Doctors at the hospital reported that both twins had “very poor weight gain” but no other signs of illness. In doctors’ care, their situations improved drastically — suggesting that the problem was what had been going on at home.
“After just three days of routine formula feedings by mouth at the hospital, the twins significantly improved and began gaining weight at a much higher average rate than when they were at home,” authorities said. “A St. Christopher’s doctor confirmed that the poor weight gain was consistent with insufficient caloric intake at home and could have been addressed sooner had the couple attended the scheduled follow-up appointments.”
The status of the twins, now roughly one year later, is currently unclear.
