A police detective presented autopsy findings during a September court hearing indicating that 12-year-old Mya Bell Christopher died of sepsis brought on by severe neglect, while also suffering from pneumonia at the time of her death. The Gadsden, Alabama girl weighed just 32 pounds when she died on June 17 — roughly a third of the approximately 92-pound average weight for a 12-year-old girl in the United States. Her mother, 35-year-old Leslie Denise Wilson, now faces a murder charge in connection with her death.
Gadsden police officers first responded to the family's home around 7 a.m. on June 17 after a 911 call reported what was described as an apparent natural death of a child, according to AL.com. Investigators questioned that account almost immediately upon inspecting the scene, and the case was soon reclassified as a homicide investigation. KDNL reported on the case. In courtroom testimony reported by WBRC, Gadsden police detective Alec Burgess said he found the child with marks on her body and live maggots inside her diaper.
Public obituary listings identified the victim as Mya Bell Christopher, born March 17, 2014, who attended Adams Elementary and Litchfield Middle School in Gadsden, according to records from Adams-Buggs Funeral Service. The girl had cerebral palsy and depended on a feeding tube, per the same KDNL report. Police records indicate the alleged neglect occurred between May 1 and June 17 of this year, and that Wilson allegedly told her younger children to take care of the girl while there was little food in the home.
Judge's Order Details Autopsy Findings
In his written order denying bail, Etowah County District Judge Joe F. Nabors cited autopsy findings, according to AL.com's reporting on the bond order. The judge's order also cited autopsy findings that the child suffered from malnutrition and dehydration, per KDNL's account of the proceeding. A criminal complaint alleges Wilson tortured, willfully mistreated, or cruelly beat her daughter, KDNL reported.
The Gadsden Police Department's juvenile unit and the Alabama Department of Human Resources both opened investigations into the girl's death, according to the KDNL report. Gadsden, located roughly 60 miles northeast of Birmingham in Etowah County, was the site of an investigation involving police and the county's Department of Human Resources, Law & Crime reports.
No Bond Under Aniah's Law
Wilson was booked into the James Hayes Etowah County Detention Center at 4:54 p.m. on Monday, according to inmate roster records cited by WBRC. A judge ordered her held without bond following a hearing conducted under Aniah's Law, the 2022 constitutional amendment Alabama voters approved that empowers judges to deny bail to defendants charged with certain violent Class A felonies, according to Ballotpedia. The measure is named for Aniah Blanchard, who was killed. Wilson's case is scheduled to return to court on October 28.
Wilson faces a felony murder charge under Alabama Code Section 13A-6-2, a Class A felony punishable by 10 years to life in prison. Under Alabama's felony murder rule, a death resulting from certain dangerous felonies, such as robbery or burglary, can lead to a murder conviction, according to an explainer from Joe Ingram Law.
Questions Remain About Oversight
Under Alabama Code Section 26-14-3, teachers, child care providers, and medical workers are mandatory reporters required to report suspected child neglect to county DHR or local law enforcement, according to the Alabama Department of Human Resources. The statute raises questions about how the severe neglect of an enrolled public school student who relied on a feeding tube went undetected for weeks.
