Police: Onondaga girl died from neglect, malnutrition Ken Palmer , Lansing
State Journal ONONDAGA - An Onondaga Township girl who couldn't walk or talk
and depended solely on her mother for care died of criminal neglect,
authorities allege. Medical examiners determined that Hannah Warner, 16, died
in November
2015 from "neglect caused by malnutrition," Ingham County Sheriff's Detective
Charles Buckland testified Monday at a hearing where charges were issued
against her mother. She weighed only 43 pounds, and her death was ruled a
homicide, he said. Her mother, Cari Ann Wright, 43, was charged Monday with
murder,
first-degree child abuse and torture in connection with her death. Wright was
ordered held without bond in the Ingham County Jail pending further hearings
in the case. Sheriff's officials declined to discuss details of the
investigation, including how the girl died. But in Monday's hearing, Buckland
told
a 55th District Court magistrate that Wright was the sole caregiver for Hannah,
who was born with physical and mental disabilities, couldn't communicate
verbally and had been bedridden for most of her life, according to a transcript
of the hearing. Police were called to the family's home on Baldwin Street
on Nov. 17 for a suspicious death investigation and found the girl's body in a
bedroom where the doorway was covered with a blanket adorned with a note
that said, "Sleeping," Buckland testified. "Upon first glance, it was obvious
that the person was gaunt," Buckland testified, "Her eyes were sunk in the
back of her head. Her skin was tight to her bone, and it appeared that she was
malnourished. There were large, open sores across her lower back and buttocks,
and her clothing and bedding were soiled, he testified. Investigators
determined that Hannah had last been to a doctor in March 2014, about 18 months
before
she died, Buckland testified. She had a condition called "chromosome
translocation," the detective testified. A tube was placed in her trachea when
she
was less than a year old, and a feeding tube had been in her stomach throughout
her life, he testified. The trachea tube had been non-surgically removed,
and the feeding tube had not been changed recently and may not have been
functioning when she died, the detective testified. Wright told investigators
that Hannah had been refusing to eat for some time, he said. State Children's
Protective Services workers had been involved in the past regarding complaints
that Hannah was not being properly cared for, Buckland testified. But he added
the family was not under state supervision at the time Hannah died. Bob
Wheaton, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services,
said the agency typically does not publicly discuss individual cases because
of privacy concerns. After CPS investigates an abuse or neglect complaint, it
can petition a court to have a child removed from the home if the allegations
are substantiated, Wheaton said. It can also provide services to the family so
children are safe and the family can stay together, he said. "Our top priority
is the safety and well-being of the child," he said. "Along with that, to keep
children at home is our preference. An attorney who stood in court with
Wright at her arraignment declined comment about the case and said she was
awaiting a court-appointed attorney to handle her defense. Contact Ken Palmer
at (517) 377-1032 or kpalmer@xxxxxxx. Follow him on Twitter @KBPalm_lsj.
