An Arizona jury convicted a woman for the death of her 16-month-old daughter a decade after the child died, at which time she weighed just 9 pounds, prosecutors said.
Denise Janelle Snow-Ingram, 48, was found guilty of second-degree murder and child abuse for the 2013 death of the child, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said.
"A medical expert who reviewed the case determined the child died of malnutrition and was suffering from Rickets, a disease caused by a lack of vitamin D," the DA's office said.
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Snow-Ingram called 911 on July 10, 2013, to report the child was unresponsive. The girl was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.
Prosecutors said she fed the child an inadequate diet and failed to provide her medical care. During a trial, several experts said the possible causes of Rickets all agreed the illness is most often caused by a lack of exposure to sunlight and an inadequate diet.
"It is heartbreaking that a parent chose her own personal preferences over the well-being of her child," said County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. "This was a child who stood no chance of surviving in the hands of her own parents. It is a point of pride that our prosecutors, and the victim advocate on the case, defended the memory of this innocent child when almost no one else would."
The child's father was sent to prison after being convicted of manslaughter and child abuse. Snow-Ingram is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 19, 2024.
She faces up to life in prison.
