Kaylea Titford death: Maggots found on body of morbidly obese girl, 16, were two days old
POWYS, WALES: The trial of a man accused of neglecting his daughter has been told that the maggots that were found feeding on the body of the 16-year-old obese teenager were at least 48 hours old. Kaylea Titford reportedly died at her home in Newtown, Wales, in October 2020.
The body of the morbidly obese teenager, weighing nearly 23 stone (321 lbs), was found by paramedics lying in soiled clothing and bed linen, Mold Crown Court has heard. It has been alleged that Kalyea’s parents failed to meet her dietary needs, leading to her obesity, which eventually became the cause of her death. The teenager’s father Alun Titford, 45, has denied manslaughter by gross negligence but her mother Sarah Lloyd-Jones, 39, has pleaded guilty to the offense.
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In a previous hearing, the court was told that the paramedics found a concerning number of 'well-grown' maggots in Kaylea’s body around her buttocks and legs. Reflecting on the claims, forensic entomologist Amoret Whitaker on Tuesday, January 24 noted that the filthy condition of the wheel-chair bound teenager’s room was "optimal" for colonization of houseflies. The Mold Crown Court heard that Dr Whitaker closely examined the maggots or larvae which were found on Kaylea’s body and on absorbent pads placed around her.
"The fact they were so closely associated with the body and were shown inside folds of skin makes me believe they were feeding on the body itself. They are attracted to wounds, for instance, such as bed ulcers," Dr Whitaker said. The forensic expert determined that the maggots must have been feasting on Kaylea for a minimum of 48 hours before she was discovered. The teenager, who had spina bifida which left her with little feeling from the waist down, was found dead by her mother, who also called 999.
As per Daily Mail, the forensic expert claimed, "If the larvae were developing on the body whilst it was still alive, obviously the temperature would be much hotter because the human body temperature is quite warm, so the estimate I've used in this particular case is based on larvae developing on a live human." Dr Whitaker testified before the court that she examined fly papers from Kaylea's room, one of which had at least 50 and another at least 60 houseflies on it.
The prosecution is alleging that Kaylea, who had a body mass index of 70 when she died, was living in conditions "unfit for any animal." Jurors have heard that her death was a result of “inflammation and infection in extensive areas of ulceration arising from obesity and its complications, and immobility in a girl with spina bifida and hydrocephalus.”