RICHMOND, Ind. -- A Richmond mother has been charged with multiple counts of neglect after a neighbor saw her smoking crack cocaine with two of her children in an apartment as well as not appropriately feeding her children.
According to court documents, filed earlier this month in Wayne County, 36-year-old Kiya Butler has been charged with two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious injury, a Level 3 felony, and two additional counts of neglect of a dependent, a Level 6 felony.
On July 31, officers with the Richmond Police Department were called to an apartment in regards to a reported child birth. A mother, later identified as Butler, had given birth in her apartment and three other children present in the residence were left with a neighbor.
The neighbor told police that the apartment that Butler was living in had no power since July 8. The neighbor also told police that the children were not allowed to come out of the apartment except for a few minutes a day and there was no food inside.
According to court documents, the neighbor also saw Butler the previous day, lying in bed smoking "what she described as a crack pipe" with her 3-year-old daughter in bed with her and her 5-year-old son standing beside the bed.
On the day that Butler gave birth, the neighbor told police that Butler did not want her to call anyone, stating she was worried about DCS taking the children. The neighbor called 911 anyway.
The three children were medically evaluated, two of which were released to the Department of Child Services. The documents said that one child, Butler's 21-month-old daughter, was admitted to a local hospital due to malnutrition.
Doctors described the 21-month-old as having "significant malnutrition," the documents said, with photos showing skin sagging from the girl's joints and her ribs showing through her skin.
"It has been demonstrated that with proper nutrition in an alternate environment (the child) is able to grow and gain wait appropriately," the documents said, "supporting medical neglect as a cause of her severe malnutrition and failure to thrive."
Court documents state that a warrant has been issued for Butler's arrest. Butler's bail is $35,000 with 10% authorized on half, with the remaining half to be posted surety.