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West Virginia mother starved 3-year-old to the point his rib cage was visible and his buttocks were just 'sagging skin'

Brittany Nicole Lippincott, 29, pleaded guilty to one felony count of child neglect resulting in injury and one felony count of child neglect creating risk of injury or death.
UPDATED MAR 12, 2020
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

FAIRMONT, WEST VIRGINIA: A West Virginia mother pleaded guilty to charges stemming from her locking her three-year-old son in his room, torturing him, and depriving him of food to the point that his buttocks had not formed properly. 

Brittany Nicole Lippincott, 29, of 106 Monongah Heights, was arrested on May 9, after the Marion County Sheriff's Office assisted the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) in conducting a home check at her apartment following an anonymous tip that she was distributing illegal drugs with children in the residence, according to the Times West Virginian.

On arrival, deputies found a three-year-old boy in "poor health" inside a room that had been locked shut with an eye bolt and a hook. A sergeant at the scene said the boy was in "just his underwear" and that he appeared "emaciated, pale, with apparent bruising on his face near the eye and mouth."

He was subsequently transported by DHHR to Fairmont Regional Medical Center for a wellness check, where the extent of the abuse became apparent.

The complete outline of the three-year-old's rib cage was visible, and the emaciation also meant that he had no formed buttock but "rather sagging skin." Police and healthcare officials also found his face bruised near the eyes and mouth, and a laceration on the lower section of his back.

A criminal complaint filed in connection to the case states that the toddler's genitals showed trauma as well, with the child reportedly telling his medical examiner that his "mommy did it with pliers."

Medical records of his treatment noted that he weighed just 22.6 pounds, and he told investigators that he would be made to "sit at the table and watch them eat, it’s not my turn."

When questioned, Lippincott admitted she locked him in his room at night "a couple times," but usually during the day. She said she noticed issues with him in October 2018 but did not seek out a doctor. She stated that he "needs help, he needs to go to a doctor."

This past week, as part of a plea agreement, Lippincott pleaded guilty to one felony count of child neglect resulting in injury and one felony count of child neglect creating risk of injury or death at the Marion County Circuit Court.

Accepting the plea, Judge Patrick N. Wilson told the 29-year-old she was "an abusive and/or neglectful parent." He said the Marion County Probation Office would be conducting a pre-sentencing investigation and preparing a report within 60 days, following which she would come back to court for her sentencing.

For now, she will have to register with the West Virginia State Police Child Abuse and Neglect Registry.

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