Decomposing Body Of Girl, 5, Found At Home With Piles Of Trash; Mother Arrested

A woman in Missouri is facing charges for the death of her 5-year-old daughter and for subjecting the child's twin to severe neglect. Both the children showed signs of malnourishment and were found inside an apartment that had a pile of trash.

Adair R. Fish, 43, called 911 and told the police dispatch her child had been dead for several days. Kansas City police officers were dispatched around 4:30 p.m. Nov. 3 to Fish's home on St. John Avenue, KMBC 9 reported Sunday.

Cops entered the residence and found a strong odor of death inside the apartment. They also found piles of trash and debris from two to five feet high, along with insect activity.

The child's decomposing body was discovered wrapped in blankets.

The body was in an "advanced state of decomposition," according to the documents filed in Jackson County Circuit Court, the Kansas City Star reported.

The second child was found unresponsive and immediately taken to the hospital along with Fish.

The deceased twin girl died from "physical wasting" caused by either malnutrition or chronic disease, the results of an autopsy revealed.

The surviving twin girl showed signs of suffering physical abuse and significant neglect. Doctors found that she had bruises on her body. She was malnourished, suffered dehydration, and weighed as much as a 20-month-old child, court documents said. The child also showed premature social behaviors because she was kept isolated.

Due to the neglect, the child may reportedly suffer long-term effects, including permanent negative effects on her growth and cognitive development.

The mother is facing charges that include one count of child abuse resulting in death, one count of child abuse with serious injury, and one count of first-degree child endangerment resulting in death. She was also charged with one count of child endangerment resulting in physical injury.

Fish was the legal guardian of the deceased child at the time of her death, Action News 5 reported. She was responsible for the care, custody and control of the children's health and well-being, the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office said. The mother had previously lost custody of the twin girls. But she regained custody of them in November 2019.