2-year-old girl dies of starvation and neglect as mother spends time dancing at club for cash
A mother from Georgia let her 2-year-old daughter starve to death while she danced for cash at a local club, according to a police report.
Authorities stated that 29-year-old Devin Moon let her little daughter, Reygan, wither away inside their home in Lilburn while she went to work at a local club. The youngster weighed just 14 pounds at the time of her death, according to cops.
The woman was allegedly neglecting her daughter “on a regular basis” — for up to 10 to 12 hours a night, cops stated on July 26. “During the investigation, detectives found that she had been leaving the child to go work basically overnight shifts,” explained Gwinnett County police Sgt. Jake Smith. “So the [child] really was left at home alone for 10 to 12 hours most nights.”
"[The cause] was determined to be neglect,” police said in a press release. Moon is said to have been employed as a dancer, though it’s unclear what kind of dancing she did.
Officers responded to her home on Tuesday after she called 911 and said Reygan was “unresponsive” and “cold to the touch.” It was later announced that the 2-year-old, who was set to turn 3 next month, was dead upon their arrival.
“Detectives interviewed [Moon] who reported that Reygan was born with medical issues which prevented Reygan from gaining weight,” according to cops. At that time she was not arrested, until Thursday, after an autopsy revealed the cause of death as neglect due to malnutrition. The medical examiner determined the infant died of neglect-malnutrition that authorities believe is due to Moon leaving her child at home “on a regular basis”
“She was emaciated, very, very thin, and she was found to be 14 pounds at almost 3 years old, which is less than half of what she should have been,” Gwinnett County Police Sgt. Jake Smith told WSB-TV Atlanta. “No other medical issues were discovered which would have led to Reygan’s death,” cops said.
Moon’s family had previously reported her to the Division of Family and Children Services over concerns about Reygan’s well-being. In response, the mom severed ties with her family, who didn’t see the toddler for almost a year before her death, police say.
Moon is facing child cruelty and felony murder charges. She remained in custody Thursday night without bond.