MI - Mother starved 4-year old son, who weighted only 10 lbs at the time of his death - Ray County, October 2024

[Clearsky]

Mother charged as her 4-year-old son weighed 10 pounds when he died

Jessica Burke has been charged with one count of first-degree child abuse in connection with the death of her son.

www.abc12.com

Jessica Burke has been charged with one count of first-degree child abuse in connection with the death of her son.

 

[tlcya]

Jessica M. Burke, 39, called 911 to report she awoke to her 4-year-old son not breathing. Officers found the boy, Noah J. Whitmire, unresponsive, confirmed Lt. Todd Armstrong.
[snip]
Noah, who had special needs, weighed 10 pounds when he died
[snip]
Burke’s arraigning judge set her bond at $250,000 cash-surety. Burke is to appear for a preliminary examination on May 29.
Boy, 4, weighed only 10 pounds. Mother charged with starving him to death.

Other court documents obtained by WJRT explained that Noah was born with Esophageal Dysphasia, which is a “severely under developed swallow” that left him with “no ability to suck, root gag, or move his mouth.”
[snip]
“She had her hands full,” the prosecutor said of Burke. “He was not an easy child to care for, but how can anyone allow that to happen. That’s why it’s so tragic. No one wins in a case like this, regardless of the outcome.”
4-year-old weighed only 10 pounds when he starved to death, mother faces life in prison: Police

 

[tlcya]

Since Burke's arrest, friends have expressed shock, describing her as a good mother and person.

"She was never a threat to the community or her son," one friend said.
Friends of Bay City woman charged with child abuse surprised by arrest

Noah Jack Whitmire Obituary October 18, 2024 - Sharp Funeral Homes
(video with photos on little Noah at obituary link)

 

[Really?]

I wonder if she was a “ gamer girl”. It would explain neglect imo.

 

[bombardier]

Since Burke's arrest, friends have expressed shock, describing her as a good mother and person.

"She was never a threat to the community or her son," one friend said.
Friends of Bay City woman charged with child abuse surprised by arrest

Noah Jack Whitmire Obituary October 18, 2024 - Sharp Funeral Homes
(video with photos on little Noah at obituary link)

in that video its clear that noah is medically complex but appears to be gaining weight as a toddler. i wonder what changed in the last 1-2 years? I wonder if she was suffering from addiction or some other kind of illness. She looks thin and sallow in her mugshot. Rip Noah.

 

[Twick]

I wonder if she was a “ gamer girl”. It would explain neglect imo.

More likely a single mother who couldn’t keep up alone with the needs of a child with severe medical issues.

 

[tlcya]

His mother, Jessica M. Burke, would tell police she had done everything for her son and that no doctor could say otherwise. But she also had a habit of skipping her son’s medical appointments and not allowing family to help with her son’s extensive needs, according to police reports.

With autopsy results showing her son died of “extreme emaciation,” Burke is charged with a life offense of first-degree child abuse.
[snip]
Noah last saw a doctor about two years prior, though Burke made and missed several appointments in the interim, she told police.
Autopsy: Bay City 4-year-old had ‘skeletal appearance’ at time of death

article also states Noah was supposed to be on his feeding machine 24 hours a day. A specialist stated every time she visited the home, that machine was not attached to Noah. When she would inquire about why she would be told it was not because it needed cleaning or Burke was in the process of moving the equipment when the specialist arrived.