Couple charged in neglect death of malnourished toddler son who was found with pieces of his mattress in his mouth

LANSING, Mich. (TCN) – A couple has been charged with murder in connection with the death of their 21-month-old son and the alleged neglect and abuse of their 4-year-old son in 2024.

On March 17, Pierson and Karliona Davis, 29 and 30 respectively, were arraigned on one count of open murder and two counts of child abuse, according to WILX.

On Aug. 12, 2024, Karliona Davis called the police to report that her son, Vincent Davis, 21 months old, was unresponsive in his crib. When dispatchers told her to begin CPR, she allegedly said that the child was beyond help. First responders attempted lifesaving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. According to court documents obtained by WLNS, Vincent Davis appeared undernourished with his skin was stretched tight across his skull. His ribs were visible and he reportedly had a bruise the size of an orange in his groin area.

Troopers described the Davis home as unkempt, cluttered, and not suitable for children. Animal feces and rotting food were found on the floor. The Davis’ older child, age 4, was found in a bedroom where feces covered the floors and walls. There were few toys in the room and there appeared to be blood on the walls as well, according to the court documents obtained by WLNS. When a trooper picked up the 4-year-old, he began crying uncontrollably. He had sunken eyes, appeared weak, and was unable to stand.

An autopsy determined that Vincent Davis’s cause of death was caregiver neglect and that the manner of death was homicide, WLNS reports. 

Messages between Pierson Davis and another person were found by an evidence technician on Pierson Davis’ devices. The messages said that Vincent Davis was found with no heartbeat, with pieces of his bed in his mouth. It was later determined in an interview with Karliona Davis to be pieces from his memory foam mattress. 

During her interview with investigators, WLNS reports that Karliona Davis said that the children were allowed out of their rooms for only one or two hours a day, and that Vincent Davis had not seen a doctor since he was 2 months old.  

The 4-year-old, whose name has not been released, was taken to a pediatric intensive care unit where he would be calm and content when held by nurses but would cry when held by his parents, according to WLNS. He was found to weigh 24 pounds and hospital staff described him as nonverbal, “grossly weak,” and a victim of chronic neglect.

Vincent Davis’ obituary called him a “joyful little boy who touched the lives of everyone around him.”

According to WILX, the Davises remain in custody and are due back in court March 31. Bond was set at $20 million for Karliona Davis and $10 million for Pierson Davis.  

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