Couple accused of murder after baby girl dies of malnutrition, NC sheriff says
A North Carolina couple is facing first degree murder charges after an autopsy concluded their 3-month-old daughter starved to death, according to investigators.
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The girl died May 13 at a home in Mooresville, and evidence indicates she “had lost approximately one-third” of her body weight since birth, the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office said in a Sept. 15 news release.
“Detectives determined that the infant’s parents, Kendal Lee Hayes and Glenn John Delgreco II, along with the infant’s grandparents, Alice Loraine Evans and Thomas Virgil Evans, all resided in the home and shared responsibility for the infant’s care, well-being, and safety,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Despite significant and apparent signs of medical distress, the infant was not provided with necessary medical treatment prior to the infant’s death.”
All four adults were initially charged with felony child abuse and aiding and abetting, officials said.
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The additional charges for the parents were added Sept. 2, after autopsy results were received from Wake Forest Medical Center, officials said.
“The infant’s cause of death was determined to be due to ‘Severe Protein-Calorie Malnutrition due to Caregiver Neglect.’ The manner of death was ruled a homicide,” the sheriff’s office said.
An Iredell County Grand Jury indicted Kendal Lee Hayes, 34, and Glenn John Delgreco II, 33, on charges of felony first-degree murder, officials said. They are being held without bond.
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Mooresville is about a 25-mile drive north from uptown Charlotte.
