Two parents in Maryland have been arrested after they let their kids starve, leading to the death of one of their children from malnourishment.
The Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office announced in a statement that Bernice Byrd and Gerald Byrd pleaded guilty to first-degree child abuse resulting in death and first-degree child abuse in connection to the death of their 5-year-old, Zona Byrd.
State’s Attorney Ivan Bates condemned Bernice, 33, and Gerald’s actions, adding that he believed “justice” was served.
“No punishment will be as severe for these defendants as living with the knowledge that they murdered their innocent child,” Bates said in the statement. “Today’s guilty plea does ensure the safety of Zona’s siblings, who are also victims of their parents’ horrific actions.”
He continued, “As a father, the facts of this case are nauseating, and my heart continues to ache for Zona, who is gone from us far too soon.”
Bates went on to thank the Baltimore Police Department “for their diligence on this case and my Special Victims Unit prosecutors for finding a resolution that both delivers justice and spares this family from the trauma of a trial.”
On October 14, 2024, someone called 911 and said that a 5-year-old child was “unresponsive” and “cold to the touch” while found “lying in a bed” on the second floor of the family’s home.
The Baltimore Police Department arrived and found Zona, who was pronounced dead at 12:50 p.m.
Other children were found at the home, and they were all taken to Johns Hopkins Medical Center “for evaluation.” Police said that one of the kids was just 6 years old and “appeared emaciated and could barely stand or walk when he was discovered at the scene.”
In Zona’s autopsy, it was revealed that she “weighed only 17.5 pounds” and there was no evidence of “any sort of physical trauma that could have resulted in her death.”
Similar to her 6-year-old sibling, Zona “appeared severely emaciated and extremely malnourished.”
Police investigated the home and found that “all the kitchen cupboards were completely bare of any food.” The freezer only contained frozen meat, and “the only item in the refrigerator was a salad.”
Bernice and Gerald, both 36, reportedly kept “several non-perishable food items” on the second floor of the home, though the items were locked up and kept behind their bedroom door and closet.
The couple was asked when Zona “was [last] provided food and nourishment, but neither would take responsibility for feeding the child, and neither could account for when they last fed the victim,” according to prosecutors.
“Detectives later discovered that one of the surviving children was seen going through garbage at their school in an attempt to find food,” according to the release.
There were three other children in the home, who were all brought to the hospital and were given food. “Doctors and detectives noted that they ate quickly and intently,” according to the state’s attorney’s office.
The parents were ultimately arrested in connection to Zona’s death. They are scheduled to be sentenced on June 10, and they are facing a maximum penalty of life in prison.
