Pennsylvania 16-year-old found weighing just 26 pounds and unable to move after being starved, mother arrested
CHAMBERSBURG (PENNSYLVANIA): A Pennsylvania woman has been arrested and charged after her 16-year-old son was found to be weighing just 26 pounds.
The "extremely malnourished" teen was brought to the attention of the authorities after Franklin County Children and Youth Services notified them about his condition in October, according to the Chambersburg Public Opinion.
Chambersburg Police subsequently responded to the Kelhigh home of Elisabet Estrada, 41, in the early hours of October 24 to assist Children and Youth Services, and transported the victim to Hershey Medical Center.
He was found to be "very frail, gaunt, ribs extremely evident and ravenously hungry." He was also emaciated and "laid in bed in the fetal position in a way that appeared as though he didn't have the ability to stretch out in his bed," police said.
The victim was developmentally delayed and nonverbal as well, and he "ruminated in his food" as if he couldn't even get food at home. When he did eat food, he regurgitated it and re-ate it.
Despite his condition, Estrada reportedly remained defiant and called the genetics testing personnel at Hershey Medical Center to state that her son "has no medical issues that require hospitalization."
She insisted she "did everything" for her son and didn't understand why she couldn't treat him at home, and "voiced anger" at the genetics specialist that was treating her son. She told police she did not have a primary care provider for her son and that her children were "home-schooled."
It was found by Children and Youth Services that the mother had not used therapy or early intervention services since 2005. Police said the victim had "limited interaction outside of the mother and three other children."
However, Estrada claimed she received medical services for her son throughout his life from Early Intervention Services, March of Dimes, Keystone Peds and Hershey Medical Center.
Children and Youth went back to the address to check the welfare of the victim's siblings and set up a "safety plan", if necessary. The other children "appeared to be in good general health," according to court documents.
The 16-year-old boy too recovered, to an extent. He remained at Hershey Medical Center from October 23 to December 2, and gained 2.2 pounds during his first two days and weighed 45 pounds at the time of his discharge.
A doctor at the center later told authorities it was her opinion that his condition was due to malnutrition and medical neglect since the mother "failed to seek appropriate medical care from an early age until he was 16 years of age and failed to appropriately feed him." The doctor noted he grew both in height and weight while under medical care just because "he was receiving appropriate nutrition."
Estrada has been charged with felony counts of aggravated assault and child endangerment and was put in Franklin County Jail on January 17 on a $25,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear before Magisterial District Judge Glenn Manns for a preliminary hearing on January 28.