AL - Shanieka, 11, Latricia, 9, & Christopher Ward, 8, starved to death, Jan 2005

[amandab]

I forget how long I read one can go without food as long as they have water, but I was under the impression it was at least a month...I could be wrong of course.

I think I heard somewhere that a human can last 3 weeks without food, 3 days without water, and 3 minutes without air.

 

[Jeana (DP)]

The following link says that a human can live seven days without water:

http://www.vvwater.org/pdf/june2003newsletter.pdf

 

[LadyLuck]

I am so sorry to say that this happened in my home town. I do not know how to link sites etc, but on our local station this morning two new items were reported.

The mother had checked on renting an apartment for one person. She had mailed in a card to an apartment finder that was postmarked on Wed. before children were discovered.

The property manager of the apartment where they lived had visited the apartment on Wed before they were discovered to tell the mother that she would have to move since the utilities had been cut off . It was during the day so she did not think anything about the children not being there and she did not smell anything.

So so sad---

 

[babydust2004]

This happened in Huntsville,Alabama where I am from.One of these children went to school with my nephew and this family lived 2 buildings over from my sister and nephew.My sister was so devestated because she said she wished she had known and could have fed these children.This happened last year and really there was nothing my sister could have done.When the story came out it was found that the grandmother and the father of these children had tried for a month to see these children and the mother would not let them in the apartment.They were finally found when the grandmother knocked her daughter out of the way and went into the apartment.I could not sleep for days after this came out.These poor children did not deserve to suffer.


Ward trial likely a year away; mental state at issue

Natashay Yvonne Ward was indicted Friday on a charge of capital murder in the deaths of her children, but she is still likely about a year away from going to trial.

A Madison County grand jury handed down the indictment alleging Ward, 31, fatally starved her three children in 2005. The bodies of the children - Christopher O. Ward, 8; Latrica L. Ward, 9; and Shanieka Y. Ward, 11 - were discovered Feb. 4, 2005, in their southwest Huntsville apartment. The utilities had been turned off in the apartment for about a month.

The children, who attended Ridgecrest Elementary School, had not returned to school after Christmas break in December 2004.

Police say they were intentionally starved to death by their mother. Deputy District Attorney Robert Broussard said the autopsy reports, prepared by a state medical examiner, confirm the children died from starvation and dehydration.

When questioned, Ward confessed she had let her children die of starvation, police said.

No trial date has been scheduled, Broussard said Monday. At this point, the case probably has not been assigned to a circuit judge, he said.

The case is still about a year from going to trial, Broussard said.

"There are a lot of issues regarding her mental state," he said.

Mark McDaniel, Ward's attorney, was not available for comment Monday.

Ward has been undergoing psychiatric evaluations at the request of attorneys and remains in the Madison County jail without the benefit of bail.


http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/ind...1310.xml&coll=1

 

[mssheila]

How could someone starve their children. When hubby and I were first starting out, and our kids were just babies, there were times when the money was really tight... but I'd be damned if my kids ever went without their daily needs. No way. I would obsess over WHAT they were eating, is it healthy? etc...

I just cannot even imagine.

 

[Brefie]

This may be a very ignorant thing to say, but I cannot imagine that a mother cannot find a few dollars for cereal or milk or even rice for crying out loud!

God forbid I find myself without a penny for food for my kids, but I am here to tell you that if a woman approached me at a grocery store and asked me for food, I would buy her what I could. It might not be lobster, but heck, PB & J sambos are better than starving.

 

[jannuncutt]

This may be a very ignorant thing to say, but I cannot imagine that a mother cannot find a few dollars for cereal or milk or even rice for crying out loud!

God forbid I find myself without a penny for food for my kids, but I am here to tell you that if a woman approached me at a grocery store and asked me for food, I would buy her what I could. It might not be lobster, but heck, PB & J sambos are better than starving.

What you are saying is not ignorant. Even if she had no money, she could have gone to a food pantry or a mission. Sane or insane, this was intentional.:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

 

[babydust2004]

well no it came out when this happened that she did it intentionally.there was food in the house and she was eating.she had bought locks and put on the children's doors.they were each found locked in their own rooms.the grandmother and the children's father said they would have gladly taken the children and taken care of them.she also had sent in a rent application for an apartment for only 1 person during January of 2005

 

[angrymom]

This sickens me. They should lock her in a room and let her starve to death. :furious:

 

[2beautifulboys]

Amen to that angrymom, what a cruel and horrid way to die. Starved by your own mother. She was not mental, she is evil.

 

[Mygirlsadie]

msshiela thats how it was for us also. When hubby was just a PVT. we didnt have much but HE made sure we had food. Let me tell ya I can do miracles with potatoes!!! Now we can sit back and laugh because neither of us will go near a package of bologna it's actually one of our little inside jokes hehe..On a side note those poor kids didnt deserve that and I bet her big fat a$$ was eating something...I have no sympathy for any mother who lets their children suffer, mental illness or not i'm sick of the excuses!

How could someone starve their children. When hubby and I were first starting out, and our kids were just babies, there were times when the money was really tight... but I'd be damned if my kids ever went without their daily needs. No way. I would obsess over WHAT they were eating, is it healthy? etc...

I just cannot even imagine.

 

[NewMom2003]

Amen to that angrymom, what a cruel and horrid way to die. Starved by your own mother. She was not mental, she is evil.

I'm with you both on this. Unbelievable. :furious: To let those poor babies suffer like that is one of the most cruel things I've ever heard. :furious:

God Bless these children's souls. :angel: :angel: :angel:

This woman should be starved to death. :furious:

 

[cathieq]

Something has to be done to stop suffering like this. Somebody (with power & pull) has to stand up and use one of these "criminals" as an example. Public hanging, stoning...something that gives the other creeps pause to think. Growing up I knew just how far I could push my parents...I knew what constituted being "grounded" and what constituted more serious punishment. Believe me, I thought about the consequences long and hard "before" I acted. These creeps know beforehand that they'll be protected...

 

[Belinda]

Ward is now 32 years of age. She received three consecutive life terms but will be eligible for parole in 45 years.

Much more at link

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/145106/mother_accepts_plea_agreement_in_deaths.html

 

[Belinda]

Natashay Yvonne Ward

Plea Deal
Location: Montgomery Women's Facility
Sentence Date: 02/08/2007

Offense: 3 counts Reckless Murder
Sentence: 3 Life Sentences - Consecutive

Parole Eligible after 45 years

 

[kbl8201]

if you take a plea deal and still get 3 life's i assume the other option was the grim reaper

 

[kbl8201]

and that grandma could give cindy anthony a run for the money with the 'she's a great mom spiel!"

 

[greenbean]

People who can commit this kind of slow, calculating torture on anything are obviously EVIL. Her ma sounds like a real winner too.

Is this lady fat? I hate it even more when you read these stories and it turns out "Mom" is a total cow. Whatta total this creature is. Makes me LIVID.

 

[lne1970]

She is clearly not well - not that that's an excuse, but she may not be evil.

"Ward pleaded not guilty to capital murder charges because of mental disease or defect in 2006. A prosecutor said she prayed for her children as they starved to death in her dark apartment and stayed with them for at least a week after they died."

It could have been something chemically wrong with her from birth, drugs, or some sort of overwhelming "no way out" sort of feeling. This was in my hometown and everyone was absolutely outraged. Not just at the mother, but at the grandmother, the school (who had not checked on them even though they were out for WEEKS!), and of course, just like in so many other cases, social services failed these children. They had visited prior. Other family should have known the mother's mindset if it was despair or anything just due to how long this took.

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2010/05/ask_us_what_happened_in_the_na.html

 

[greenbean]

She is clearly not well - not that that's an excuse, but she may not be evil.

"Ward pleaded not guilty to capital murder charges because of mental disease or defect in 2006. A prosecutor said she prayed for her children as they starved to death in her dark apartment and stayed with them for at least a week after they died."

It could have been something chemically wrong with her from birth, drugs, or some sort of overwhelming "no way out" sort of feeling. This was in my hometown and everyone was absolutely outraged. Not just at the mother, but at the grandmother, the school (who had not checked on them even though they were out for WEEKS!), and of course, just like in so many other cases, social services failed these children. They had visited prior. Other family should have known the mother's mindset if it was despair or anything just due to how long this took.

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2010/05/ask_us_what_happened_in_the_na.html

I hear you. These kinds of things cause a visceral reaction. It might be her illness that is evil.