Caretakers arrested after 14-year-old with disabilities and feeding tube dies from alleged neglect

LIVE OAK, Calif. (TCN) -- The primary caregivers of a teen who needed round-the-clock care have been arrested in connection with the girl’s starvation death.

The Sutter County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrests of 37-year-old Sherwood Johnson II and 33-year-old Megan Fredrick on April 20. CBS News reports Fredrick is the victim’s sister.

The sheriff’s office began their investigation into the couple in January 2025 following the death of a developmentally disabled teen whose name has not been released. Authorities were called to a home with reports that she was unresponsive, and the circumstances surrounding her death were deemed suspicious. 

According to investigators, the victim needed to eat via feeding tube and required round-the-clock care. The coroner determined the victim’s death was a homicide caused by starvation and neglect. Arrest warrants for Fredrick and Johnson were issued and they were apprehended on April 16 in Washington, where they had moved. 

According to a press release from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, both were booked into jail pending extradition to California. 

KCRA reports the couple was jailed in California on $750,000 bond and was scheduled to appear in court on April 22.

MORE: