An Alabama couple has been charged with capital murder over the starvation death of their 18-month-old foster child.
The emaciated baby arrived at a Blount County hospital in November cold to the touch and was declared dead shortly later.
Blount County authorities announced on Wednesday charges against Brooklyn Paige Posey Grimes, 31, and Mason John Grimes, 36, in connection to the toddler’s death.
“I have handled dozens of cases classified as child abuse cases in my career, but this case is beyond anything I could ever imagine,” District Attorney Pamela Casey said.
“The photos of this child from Nov. 22 are heartbreaking.”
“This child needed food. This child needed medical care.”
“This child deserved to be loved just like any other child regardless of any congenital anomalies in the child’s appearance or development.”
According to court documents, the starved child was placed in Grimes’ care on August 5, 2022, when he was three-month-old.
A year later, the baby was taken to Children’s of Alabama where he was diagnosed with several congenital disorders.
The couple did not bring the child to a medical appointment and stopped returning follow-up phone calls after that.
When they did bring the toddler to the hospital on November 22, 2023, he was “severely emaciated, asystolic, and cool to the touch.”
“There is no evidence that the child received any medical care after being diagnosed with multiple congenital diseases,” prosecutors added.
