Father charged with murder after 11-year-old daughter allegedly starved to death while family ate full meals

GRAFTON, W.Va. (TCN) -- A father has been charged with murder in connection with the allegedly intentional starvation death of his 11-year-old daughter. The child’s main caregiver, Shannon Robinson, 51, was also charged with murder on Jan. 13. 

On Jan. 24, 42-year-old Aaron Moran was taken into custody after being released from the hospital, WDTV reports. He was indicted on one count of murder of a child by parent, guardian, or custodian by refusal or failure to supply necessities and one count of child neglect resulting in death. Taylor County Prosecutor John Bord said Moran’s indictment was sealed until he was released from the hospital, according to WDTV.

Robinson — Miana Moran’s primary caregiver — was booked into the jail Jan. 13 in connection with the girl’s Feb. 16, 2025 death. The child weighed 43 pounds and was 47 inches tall at the time of her death, which the medical examiner described as “grossly inconsistent with her age.”She had not been to a doctor since 2020. She died of bilateral, diffuse, acute bronchopneumonia, with failure to thrive listed as a contributing factor, according to an autopsy report obtained by police.

WV News reports a witness in the home said Miana Moran was unresponsive and cold to the touch in her bedroom, with her eyes partially open. The witness said Aaron Moran allegedly placed the child on the kitchen floor before first responders arrived. According to court documents obtained by the outlet, Moran was complicit in the creation of “prolonged conditions of starvation, failure to thrive, and untreated illness,” leading to Miana Moran’s death.

Child protective services had visited the home multiple times, WDTV reports, including January 2025, just weeks before her death. According to WDTV, Robinson was initially identified as the child’s stepmother, but she is the mother of one of Moran’s co-workers. She allegedly helped him care for his children after he won primary custody in 2020 following a divorce.

Miana Moran was reportedly enrolled in a virtual school program and was described by teachers as a good student, WDTV reports.

On Jan. 27, West Virginia state lawmaker Sen. Jay Taylor spoke on the senate floor about Miana Moran’s death and told senators legislation is being drafted to overhaul CPS oversight, WCHS reports. He said, “We cannot accept a system where the agency investigates itself behind closed doors and elected lawmakers are left unable to confirm that children are truly being protected.”

Moran is currently being held without bond, WDTV reports.

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