A Cincinnati mother is facing child endangering charges after prosecutors say her 2-year-old daughter showed up at a hospital in January so underweight and frail that she weighed only about 17 pounds.
Naomi Holloway, who lives in West Price Hill, appeared in Hamilton County court yesterday to answer to the charge. According to court papers and prosecutors, doctors described the girl as emaciated and reported an injury on her backside so severe it caused the skin to peel. Prosecutors also told the court that Holloway admitted leaving the toddler home alone for 12-hour stretches while she went to work.
During the hearing, an assistant prosecutor walked the judge through the child’s condition, referencing medical records and court files that outlined the alleged neglect, as reported by WKRC Local 12.
Court documents state the toddler was “deprived of adequate food and water over a prolonged period of time,” and doctors noted the peeling injury on her backside. The child’s weight at the time of the January hospital visit was about 17 pounds, according to WKRC Local 12, which cited what the assistant prosecutor said in court.
Neighborhood context
The case lands in a year when West Price Hill and nearby neighborhoods have already seen several child-safety probes. A local day-care center in West Price Hill had its license suspended after investigators reviewed surveillance video, according to WCPO.
In a separate case, recent coverage detailed a Westwood toddler’s hospital horror that resulted in felony charges against a Cincinnati couple, underscoring how quickly medical crises involving young children can turn into criminal cases.
What the charges mean
Under Ohio law, endangering children (Ohio Rev. Code § 2919.22) can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the severity of the harm and the defendant’s prior record. Prosecutors weigh the evidence to determine which level applies. Penalties range from fines and local jail time to state prison sentences and other sanctions, as outlined in the statute, per the Ohio Revised Code.
In Holloway’s case, prosecutors filed the child-endangering charge after reviewing the hospital records and related court documents. The case is now moving through Hamilton County’s court system. Local 12 has the initial public reporting and court documents. We'll follow hearings and new filings as they become available.
