A 36-year-old DuBois-area mother is facing third-degree murder charges after her 4-year-old daughter died in December 2025 from a severe colon infection that investigators say went untreated for weeks inside a home kept near freezing despite a working furnace. Sarah Brubaker was arraigned on Wednesday, September 23, on charges of third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and child endangerment, and she remains held at Clearfield County Jail.
A Death Followed Months Later By the Father's
According to Arizona's Family, Brubaker told police her daughter had not eaten for at least two weeks and had suffered a severe case of diarrhea before she was found unresponsive and cold to the touch. Brubaker and the girl's father attempted life-saving measures before rushing her to the hospital late in 2025, where medical staff pronounced her dead, the outlet reports. In a detail that has drawn attention since the charges were filed, the girl's 29-year-old father, Chad Forrest Brubaker, also died after his daughter's death, with the county coroner determining his cause of death was severe dehydration, according to a Facebook post from journalist Nate Eaton. Per the same reporting, both parents had attempted resuscitation before bringing the child to the hospital on December 20, 2025.
An official autopsy determined the girl died from pseudomembranous colitis, described by Arizona's Family as a severe bacterial infection in the colon. The Mayo Clinic describes the condition as advanced, severe inflammation of the colon lining, most often caused by an overgrowth of Clostridioides difficile bacteria that release tissue-damaging toxins, producing severe watery diarrhea and abdominal pain. Left untreated, the infection can progress quickly: clinical guidance from Mayo Clinic and Harvard Health warns that untreated cases can rapidly cause toxic megacolon, bowel perforation, and life-threatening septic shock; Mayo Clinic describes treatment with an antibiotic targeting C. difficile and steps to restore body fluids.
Freezing House, Full Fridges Left Empty
Police obtained a search warrant for the family's home to determine the living conditions and what food, if any, had been provided to the girl, Arizona's Family reports. Investigators found two working refrigerators containing no food, with the home otherwise stocked only with boxes of uncooked pasta and meal ingredients. Despite that, police noted the house was very clean and orderly and decorated for Christmas, though no lights were in use and the heating system had been shut off.
When DuBois police executed the search warrant, officers measured an internal room temperature of 34 degrees Fahrenheit, with ice formed on interior window glass, according to DuBoisLIVE. A secondary search warrant determined the heating system was in good working condition and connected to a free natural gas well on the property, leading police to say it was intentionally not being used. Investigators also say Brubaker's daughter had displayed balance issues and weakness before her death.
Financial Resources Went Untapped, Police Say
Police say Brubaker and the girl's father had experienced financial hardships after reportedly quitting their jobs, yet the family had access to a $100,000-plus investment fund. Investigators say Brubaker was aware of available food and medical assistance for her family but that she and her household chose not to seek it out. The county medical examiner ultimately ruled the girl's death a homicide caused by neglect.
Brubaker's daughter's last reported meal consisted only of applesauce and crackers, per police affidavits cited by DuBoisLIVE. Bail for Brubaker has been set at $1 million. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 30 before Magisterial District Judge David Meholick in DuBois, DuBoisLIVE reports. WJAC reported that the mother was charged after the girl's death, and WTAJ separately reported that the home had no heat and near-freezing conditions at the time.
What Third-Degree Murder Requires Prosecutors to Prove
Under Pennsylvania law, 18 Pa.C.S. § 2502(c) classifies third-degree murder as a felony of the first degree punishable by up to 40 years in prison, and it requires prosecutors to demonstrate legal malice rather than premeditated intent, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Malice under state law can include wickedness or extreme indifference to human life, a standard distinct from proving an intent to kill.
A Pattern Seen Across Pennsylvania Child Welfare Cases
DuBois City Police led the multi-month investigation that resulted in the charges filed in Clearfield County, a rural jurisdiction roughly 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, per Law & Crime. The case adds to a broader statewide picture: the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services' 2024 Annual Child Protective Services Report documented 60 substantiated child abuse and neglect fatalities and 82 near-fatalities statewide that year, out of more than 40,000 reports investigated. The Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance has separately noted that delays or failures in seeking necessary medical attention represent an increasingly common factor in fatal neglect cases involving children age five and under, with economic strain and family isolation frequently exacerbating caretaking omissions.
