A young black couple living in an affluent Illinois community, Barrington, have been accused of starving their twin infant daughter to death. Markisha Jones, 19, and Gene Edwards, 22, were both arrested shortly after the new year, on Jan. 9, 2014, after calling paramedics to their home because their 7-month-old daughter, Mya, was unresponsive. The helpless infant was dead on the dining room table when authorities arrived.
The baby died of malnutrition from starvation. The foolish parents allegedly replaced the baby’s formula with cereal and water and occasionally fed the baby a “glob” of baby food.
Also, Mya and her twin slept in the basement with only a space heater during Chicago’s harsh winter while the couple slept upstairs in a room with adequate heat.
Assistant State’s Attorney Alyssa Grissom tells the media, the toddlers slept in “an unfinished basement that resembled a dungeon.”
Edwards and Jones admit they allowed their Food Stamp benefits to lapse and failed to take their children to the doctor since their births. They have been charged with involuntary manslaughter and felony child endangerment. Edwards was ordered held on $250,000 bond, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s office and Jones’ bond information is not immediately available.
Their surviving daughter is in foster care.
