Baby died after ‘consuming cockroaches’ whereas being left alone by mum, police say
Cops found the tragic tot’s lifeless body at the house in Georgia, US, which they said had a “foul smell” and described the interior as being in total disarray
Sherry Magby has been charged with six counts of second-degree cruelty to children(Image: Douglas Counnty Sheriff’s Office)
A one-year-old baby died after eating ants and cockroaches when he was left at home in squalid conditions by his mum for 12 hours, police say. The tragic tot was found dead by cops who attended the house in Atlanta, Georgia in the US, to reports of a cardiac arrest.
Investigators say Sherry Magby, 37, left the baby at home with five of his siblings, the eldest being 10. She has been charged with six counts of second-degree cruelty to children, arrest warrants show.
The youngsters were left without “adequate food or suitable living conditions” and the home also had “strong, foul smell consistent with unsanitary living conditions,” local media reports.
Police said the eldest child told them the one-year-old had eaten insects before his death because there was “insufficient food” in the home. They say the 10-year-old was left to supervise the younger siblings, who were aged two, four, six and eight.
Local media report that police were called to the house in Atlanta in late March regarding a report of cardiac arrest. Responding officers described the house as being in “total disarray”.
Ken Howell, who runs a community outreach centre, just metres away from the house, said he was shocked the family had not asked for help. She told local media: “I just don’t understand how that could be that close and knowing we’re right here.”
A neighbour, who asked to remain anonymous, told local media she often saw the children playing outside late at night without their mother.
She said: “At one time, I told my husband we might need to do a welfare check because he came home like 12 o’clock one night and the kids was outside playing. She wasn’t there.
“If I knew they didn’t have food to eat, I would have fed them. I would’ve fed them. It’s just sad, you know, that kids that small have to live like that. Reach out to somebody, go to a neighbour.”
Magby is currently being held without bond and authorities suggest additional charges may be filed as the investigation continues.
The Douglas County Coroner’s office has confirmed the toddler’s death, though a specific cause of death has not yet been released.
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