Inset: Authorities arrest Sarah Brubaker (WJAC/YouTube). Background: The Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, home where Brubaker and her daughter lived (WJAC/YouTube).
A Pennsylvania case involving the death of a 4-year-old girl is heading toward trial after prosecutors accused the child’s mother of neglecting her until she died from a serious bacterial infection and was found “cold to the touch.”
Sarah Brubaker, 36, is charged with third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and endangering the welfare of a child, according to Clearfield County court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
Brubaker appeared in court Friday for a preliminary hearing. The judge determined that the charges should move forward, according to west-central Pennsylvania NBC affiliate WJAC.
According to a criminal complaint previously reported by Law&Crime, Brubaker was at the family’s DuBois home on Dec. 20 when she discovered her daughter was “cold to the touch.” DuBois is in central Pennsylvania, roughly 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
Brubaker and the girl’s father attempted to care for the child before taking her to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
An autopsy determined that the child died from pseudomembranous colitis. The Mayo Clinic describes the condition as “advanced inflammation of the colon that can cause serious or life-threatening diarrhea.”
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The medical examiner reportedly classified the death as a homicide resulting from neglect.
During an interview with police, Brubaker allegedly said her daughter had gone without food for at least two weeks and had been suffering from diarrhea. She also told investigators that the girl had difficulty maintaining her balance and appeared weak.
At Friday’s hearing, DuBois police officers testified that the home was in “freezing conditions,” WJAC reported. One officer said frost had formed on the windows.
The property’s heating system, supplied by a free natural-gas well, was reportedly functional but had been turned off.
Brubaker and the child’s father apparently used heated blankets while sleeping. The father reportedly died shortly after his daughter from complications related to hypothermia.
Brubaker is scheduled to return to court Nov. 18 for a formal arraignment.
