Home US Emaciated Wyoming boy, four, is found weighing just 18lbs after ‘being starved nearly to death by mother in house full of food’

Emaciated Wyoming boy, four, is found weighing just 18lbs after ‘being starved nearly to death by mother in house full of food’

by Jack
0 comment
Tanya Hannon, 24, also known as Tanya Earl, was charged with one count of aggravated child abuse, alleging she starved her child. The mother of five is pictured with four of her children

A four-year-old Wyoming boy was found emaciated, weighing just 18 pounds, after his mother allegedly nearly starved him to death.

The unnamed youth’s weight was so low that it was equivalent to an eight-month-old baby and his health was in such a serious state that he suffered brain damage.

The boy’s mother, Tanya Hannon, 24, also known as Tanya Earl, was charged with one count of aggravated child abuse over allegations she starved her child.

On Friday, Big Horn District Court raised her case to a felony level. She faces up to 25 years in prison and $10,000 in fines. Cowboy State Daily reported.

Tanya Hannon, 24, also known as Tanya Earl, was charged with one count of aggravated child abuse, alleging she starved her child. The mother of five is pictured with four of her children

Tanya Hannon, 24, also known as Tanya Earl, was charged with one count of aggravated child abuse, alleging she starved her child. The mother of five is pictured with four of her children

Tanya Hannon pictured with her boyfriend, Ty Myers

Tanya Hannon pictured with her boyfriend, Ty Myers

Tanya Hannon pictured with her boyfriend, Ty Myers

The spoiled mum is pictured with a baby, her fifth child, as her boyfriend looks on

The spoiled mum is pictured with a baby, her fifth child, as her boyfriend looks on

The spoiled mum is pictured with a baby, her fifth child, as her boyfriend looks on

On February 15, Hannon found her son unresponsive and contacted his mother. The mother and daughter took the child to the emergency room at Three Rivers Hospital in Basin, Wyoming, according to an evidentiary affidavit filed in the case.

Hannon told Greybull police that her son had tripped over a toy that day.

The boy was placed in the pediatric intensive care unit because he was reportedly in critical condition.

According to a statement, the young boy’s lips and hands were colorless, he was unresponsive to pain, and his eyes were fixed and dilated.

He was also unable to clear his own throat, in which food had lodged, and it was reported that he had to be intubated.

The boy’s mother told the hospital that her son started losing weight about two months earlier, but she did not seek help for him, according to the court document.

The child was near death and had to be life-flighted to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The attending medical staff gave the boy medication and electrolytes. He was also put on ventilators as he was unable to breathe on his own.

Dr. Margaret Russell, a pediatric fellow at Primary Children’s Hospital, spoke to Greybull Police Chief Kenneth Blosser and disputed Hannon’s claims that her son tripped over a toy.

She told the police chief that the child could not have been active enough to do that.

She reported that the youngster was suffering from shock, dangerously high levels of sodium, extremely low oxygen levels and acute kidney injury.

Russell also noted that his body was also emaciated and he had ‘pressure sores’ on his back, shoulder blades and bottom, indicating that he was unable to move from a lying position.

She said the child had hair loss, loss of brain volume, fluid buildup on the brain and an electrolyte imbalance that threatened his vital organs, according to the news outlet.

Based on her analysis, she suspected the little boy was starving, and that it most likely lasted for weeks or months, according to the documents.

When police executed a search warrant at Hannon’s home on Feb. 27, they allegedly found methamphetamine pipes and residue, as well as a “tooter” straw in the couple’s home

Kristy Michaels, a Wyoming Department of Family Services caseworker told the sheriff that Hannon has four other children, including a newborn.

Hannon told another caseworker in Salt Lake City that she was a “stay-at-home mom.”

According to Michaels, she allegedly found no medical records for Hannon’s other children.

The police chief, probation officer Bradley Lee and Michaels went to Hannon’s home to investigate and found out that Hannon shares a home with her boyfriend Ty Myers.

During the search, Hannon’s other children were at their grandparents’ home, where the children remained during the investigation, officials said.

On February 16, Child Protective Services in Salt Lake City determined that the child had been a victim of serious child abuse and the police chief was called.

Hannon’s father told the police chief on February 21 that he had not seen his grandson for about a month prior to the incident.

He recalled that the boy looked ‘a little Ethiopian’ and said he ‘ate up a storm’ at his house. At that time, he also told his daughter to take the child to the doctor, according to the news outlet.

On February 23, Hannon was reported missing from the hospital.

Four days later, on February 27, when police executed a search warrant at Hannon’s home, they allegedly found methamphetamine pipes and residue, as well as a “tooter” straw.

On March 1, Hannon was in police custody, according to court documents.

You may also like