Okla. mom sentenced to 30 years for neglecting 8-year-old son who weighed 30 pounds
03/24/2023 3:32 pm PDT
EDMOND, Okla. (TCD) -- A judge sentenced a 38-year-old woman to 30 years in prison this week after she pleaded guilty to charges relating to her son’s malnourishment and neglect.
Oklahoma County court records show Akemi Cox entered the plea Wednesday, March 22 — almost exactly two years after she was arrested on four counts of child neglect and two counts of child abuse.
KFOR-TV reports Cox’s neighbors called DHS after they reportedly noticed the boy rummaging through the trash looking for food. The boy was taken to the hospital, and Edmond Police got involved.
The caseworker reportedly noted, "His stomach is distended, yet he is extremely skinny, and his skin is sagging."
According to KFOR, the boy wore toddler-size clothing that is usually for children about 2 1/2 years old and weighed 30 pounds. A doctor at Children’s Hospital told the DHS caseworker, "At a minimum, this case is medical neglect, possibly shocking and heinous."
Cox reportedly kept her son on a sugar-free diet and only allowed him to eat crackers. KFOR reports Cox refused to let an officer buy the boy food when he was in the hospital. She reportedly even took some of his food away while at Children’s Hospital.
She reportedly lost custody to five other children prior to her arrest.
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