Tragic Case: Mother Accused of Starving 12-Year-Old Son with Muscular Dystrophy to Death, Police Reveal

A Wisconsin mother is facing serious allegations after authorities claim her neglect led to the tragic death of her 12-year-old son, who weighed only 56 pounds at the time of his passing.

According to court records, 51-year-old Tina Marie Beauprey has been charged with child neglect resulting in death. Her son, who suffered from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, was heavily reliant on Beauprey for care, as highlighted in a criminal complaint acquired by local ABC affiliate WBAY.

Law enforcement reports allege that Beauprey neglected to provide adequate nutrition and medical attention to her son from November 2024 until his death on December 5. The autopsy revealed starvation as the cause of death and categorized it as a homicide. The medical examiner suggested that the boy, whose identity has not been released, might still be alive today if he had received proper nourishment from those responsible for his care.

Statements attributed to Beauprey seem to indicate a troubling resignation towards her caregiving responsibilities.

“It’s pretty sad that it takes your kid dying just to get them out of your hair,” she allegedly remarked, according to the complaint.

Investigators also reportedly learned that Beauprey could have used gift cards supplied by the Department of Human Services to buy food for her son. But the boy only ate a few bites of frozen chicken nuggets and pizza in the weeks leading up to his death, the complaint stated, per WBAY.

Beauprey also reportedly ignored hospital staff who wanted to bring him in to check his weight and never opened his prescription medication. She told investigators that her son was sick the week of Thanksgiving and she “just knew he was going to be gone soon.”

According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by local Fox affiliate WLUK, which was read in court last week by Judge Laura Lavey, the boy weighed 80 pounds in November 2024 and dropped to 56 pounds in the next year. The documents stated that 15% of his total weight loss occurred in the last five weeks of the boy’s life.

Fond du Lac County Assistant District Attorney Kristin Menzl told the court that “care [was] not being provided to the child, including a lack of food.” She said the boy’s health became significantly worse in the two days leading up to his death, but Beauprey “did not seek out any medical care for the victim, even though it was obvious he was declining.”

Beauprey’s defense attorney, Michael Queensland, said the family expected the boy to lose a large amount of weight because of his diagnosis. Queensland told the court, “The family had been informed that the child was terminally ill. He was going to lose weight. And soon, was going to need a feeding tube.”