A MOM was charged after she allegedly starved and bruised her baby boy – who was found dead weighing less than when he was born.
Shantoria K. Williams's son's body was found on March 29 in her Milwaukee home, weighing just more than seven pounds, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Princeton Williams – who was born weighing 8 pounds and 10 ounces in December – was found malnourished and dehydrated with bruises, scratches, and a burn injury on his body.
The 32-year-old mom has been charged with a felony count of chronic child neglect in the case which is being investigated as a homicide by The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The boy's final cause of death is pending.
Milwaukee Police Department Sgt. Sheronda Grant confirmed that an officer was sent to Williams' home on a welfare check on March 16.
Grant told MJS in email: "The Milwaukee Police Department takes this tragic incident seriously" and the officer's response to the house call is being investigated.
Williams' home had been the subject to at least eight emergency and nonemergency calls in the two months leading up to the baby boy's death, according to a criminal complaint.
Susan Conwell, Kids Matter Inc.'s executive director, which advocates for abused and neglected children in Milwaukee County, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “We’re probably talking about a baby that looked as though they were in a Third World country starving to death.
“What it points to is the tremendous gaps in our system. Look at how many people touched this family."
Anyone in contact with the infant in the weeks leading up to his death would've known the baby needed immediate medical attention, she explained to the news outlet.
Conwell added: “We have a problem in Milwaukee. This is rare. Many counties never have even one higher-level practice review.
"We really have to look into how a three-month-old baby died weighing over a pound less than he did when he was born.
“We all need to keep extra eyes on Milwaukee kids so they aren’t struggling on their own.”
Williams remains in Milwaukee County Jail and has bail set at $5,000, online court records state.
It is not yet known if Williams was hit with additional charges.
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