A North Charleston mother is now facing a homicide charge after her 11-month-old daughter was found dead and severely emaciated inside a bug-infested apartment, weighing just a few pounds. Janette Clayton, 27, was initially booked on lesser charges before investigators escalated the case this week, accusing her of causing the child's death through prolonged neglect.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division charged Clayton with homicide by child abuse, according to Live 5 News, marking a significant escalation from the three counts of unlawful conduct toward a child she had initially faced. As WCIV reported, Clayton was arrested in connection with her daughter's death on November 4 and was being held at the Al Cannon Detention Center on the related charges.
The Charleston County Coroner's Office identified the child as Nomai Weathers, an 11-month-old girl whose death prompted an investigation into alleged neglect. According to documents cited by the same Live 5 News report, Weathers was born prematurely and had been diagnosed with sickle cell disease, a condition that required medically necessary follow-up appointments. Investigators allege Clayton never took her daughter to any of those required medical visits.
A Home Without Food, Overrun by Insects
When investigators searched the apartment, they reportedly found a scene far removed from an infant's basic needs being met. The home was described as being in deplorable condition and infested with cockroaches and flies, the station's report states. A protective sweep of the apartment turned up no food or child-care supplies, along with a severe insect infestation throughout the residence, Live 5 News reported in an earlier update on the case.
The child weighed only 4 pounds, 13 ounces when she was found, according to the outlet's latest reporting — a weight that underscores the severity of the neglect investigators allege took place inside the home. An autopsy reportedly determined the cause of death to be starvation with acute bronchopneumonia due to neglect, and the coroner's office ruled the manner of death a homicide, per the same account.
Conflicting Accounts of the Timeline
The Date of the Discovery WCIV's ABC News 4 affiliate reported that Weathers was found deceased on June 17, 2026. Live 5 News reported that the infant was found dead in July.
Officers Placed on Leave Amid Separate Review
Beyond the charges against Clayton, the case has also triggered scrutiny of the police response itself. Two North Charleston Police Department officers who had responded to the apartment were placed on leave, Live 5 News reported, though the station's account does not detail the circumstances that led to that decision.
What South Carolina Law Says About the Charge
Homicide by child abuse is among the most serious charges available under South Carolina law in cases involving the death of a minor. Under the South Carolina Code of Laws, a person is guilty of the offense if they cause the death of a child under 18 while committing child abuse or neglect, and the death occurs under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life.
Cases involving child maltreatment deaths remain a persistent, if relatively small, share of fatalities tracked statewide. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's 2024 child fatalities report found that 11 deaths, or 3.5% of cases reviewed that year, resulted from child maltreatment, with one death attributed specifically to medical neglect, according to the agency's own data.
