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Sugar Cookie

Veteran Member
Bold Member!
From 2017
An Abilene man who pleaded guilty to injury to a child after his infant daughter was found "almost dead" of malnutrition last year was sentenced Friday to six years in prison.

James Ray Mayhall, 51, who suffered a stroke and uses a cane to walk, entered the court room in an orange jail jumpsuit, handcuffed in a wheelchair.

On Jan. 4, 2016, emergency crews responded to a 911 call of an infant who had stopped breathing.

The girl was taken to Hendrick Medical Center, where the emergency room physician told police the baby was "extremely malnourished and dehydrated" and "in danger of dying at the time of her admission," according to court documents.

The 5-month-old girl, whose birth weight was 6 pounds, 15 ounces, weighed only 6 pounds, 5 ounces when she was admitted to the hospital, court records state.

Photos shown to the jury during the trial of the mother, Evangelia Mayhall, demonstrated how thin Angelica Mayhall was, with her rib and shoulder bones protruding and a diaper hanging loosely around a tiny waist.

A jury sentenced Evangelia Mayhall in March to 50 years.

"She was completely emaciated," Dr. Amy McClatchy, Angelica's pediatrician, testified Friday. "You could see every bone in her body."

Angelica had extreme starvation and severe dehydration, McClatchy testified.

"She was very, very close to death," she said, adding the child would not have survived another day without food and fluids.

Adam Becker with the Abilene Police Department was the lead detective on the case. He testified Friday that James Mayhall seemed "not at all" concerned about the child's well being.
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@Sugar Cookie
Dad got 6 years and mom got 50. Two malnourished children.
29 Mar 2017
[…]
The CPS worker said that when she saw the baby while conducting an investigation for the Child Protective Services it "didn't even look human". She also described the state of the Mayhall home, which was occupied by Mayhall, her husband James, two children, and two other adults.

She said she could smell urine before she even got inside, and she threw up after leaving the residence. When she was in the house, she said she found plenty of food for adults, but no formula for an infant. There was also plenty of alcohol and cigarettes in the home, according to the CPS worker's testimony.

The CPS worker also stated that Mayhall lost her WIC coverage because she would not take classes.

The baby and a 6-year-old boy were removed from the home immediately following the CPS workers says the children are now doing "amazing" and both are recovering well.

The Mayhalls and the children all tested negative for drugs, which surprised the CPS worker, who sated that she could not find any reason why the kids were not fed, so she concluded the Mayhalls "just did not care".

An investigating officer also took the stand during day two of the child abuse trial and said that although Mayhall claimed she was breastfeeding the baby, her body showed no signs of active breastfeeding when she was arrested.

The officer showed pictures of the six-year-old, who was very skinny, and stated that the boy asked for water and crackers when he was brought to the Law Enforcement Center.
[…]
 
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@Sugar Cookie
Dad got 6 years and mom got 50. Two malnourished children.
29 Mar 2017
I’m so grateful these kids are finally getting the care they need and the loving attention they deserve. It’s not going to be an easy road but they’re going to come shining through!
 
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