Pictured left: Adariance Rahman (Coryell County Jail). Pictured right: Jenny Sanchez (Bell County Jail). Background: A neighborhood street in Gatesville, Texas (Google Maps).
Authorities in Texas have arrested a couple following claims their 9-month-old infant was found “severely malnourished,” according to state law enforcement.
The Gatesville Police Department has charged Jenny Sanchez, 23, and Adariance Rahman, 22, with one count each of injury to a child resulting in serious bodily harm, as well as child endangerment.
The incident sparked an investigation beginning on July 20 at a home located on North 27th Street in the tranquil town of Gatesville, approximately 40 miles west of the city of Waco.
Someone called police over concerns the infant was not being cared for, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Waco-based CBS affiliate KWTX and Temple-based NBC affiliate KCEN.
Police arrived at the house at around 9 p.m., where they reportedly witnessed clear indicators of “extreme malnourishment.” Paramedics were then called to transport the child to Baylor Children’s Medical Center in Temple for immediate care.
Police also described the little girl as “severely underweight” for her age and said her ribs, collarbones, shoulder blades and spine were “prominently visible” through her skin, according to the complaint.
The child’s eyes were sunken and her skin appeared pale and loose, police added.
Sanchez, for her part, allegedly said the little girl had been sick with the flu – but had never been to a doctor or had a checkup since she was born, according to the charging document.
The mother added that she stopped breastfeeding when the baby was 4 months old, police said. Sanchez allegedly went on to say the child does not drink formula either – instead she drinks water and eats squeezable baby food, according to the complaint.
Medical staff at the hospital described the child as “severely malnourished,” with abnormalities in her bones, and suffering from a rare condition known as refeeding syndrome – a condition where food is reintroduced to a person previously deprived of nutrients.
One staff member said the situation was “one of the worst cases of malnourishment in an infant she has seen still living,” and described her condition as life-threatening, according to the complaint.
Authorities also detailed the child’s growth over time.
The child weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces at birth, according to the complaint. At the time she was taken to the hospital, she weighed 7 pounds, 16.3 ounces.
Staff said the child may suffer from growth issues, as well as cognitive and motor developmental delays due to the malnourishment.
The mother and father were subsequently arrested – the mother at the hospital; the father at the family’s residence.
Child Protective Services placed the infant into protective custody, along with two other children in the home, police said.
The post ‘One of the worst cases’: Couple arrested for starving 9-month-old who had gained only 1 pound since birth, police say first appeared on Law & Crime.