'Extremely Malnourished' 3-Month-Old Wisconsin Boy Found Dead With Bruises, Mother Charged

A Milwaukee, Wisconsin, mother is facing a single felony charge of chronic neglect of a child after her infant child was found dead due to malnutrition in their home last month.

The body of Princeton Williams, who was born in December weighing 8 pounds and 10 ounces, was found dead on March 29 in their home in North 37th Street in the Washington Park. The 3-month-old baby’s body was found dehydrated and thin as a rake. He also had burns and bruises on his body.

Just before midnight on March 29, the Milwaukee firefighters were dispatched to the home after receiving a 911 call regarding an unresponsive child. When they arrived, they saw the mother, identified as 32-year-old Shantoria Williams, holding the infant and attempting CPR.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, the firefighters conducted a preliminary medical assessment and found that the child “appeared dehydrated and extremely malnourished.” There “were scratches and bruises to the infant’s face, and what appeared to be a burn to the infant’s upper left ear.” About 12:20 a.m. on March 30, the child was pronounced dead.

“The Milwaukee Police Department takes this tragic incident seriously,” Sgt. Sheronda Grant, a spokesperson for the Milwaukee Police Department, told local media.

The complaint points out that over the course of two months there were at least eight emergency and non-emergency calls reporting about the child's pathetic condition. Two of those calls were made by the property owner after a maintenance worker witnessed the infant’s condition and warned the owner of child neglect.

The maintenance worker “noticed the stove was on and being used to heat the residence. The toilet was overflowing with feces. The bathroom floor was covered with excrement,” the complaint said.

He talked to Williams, and “informed her she needed to get up and clean the residence. There was a baby in the residence that was crying uncontrollably. Despite this, Shantoria Williams did not move to attend to the baby,” the complaint added.

Upon interrogation, Williams claimed that the child was fed just 15 minutes before the officers arrived at the home. But when she “was confronted with the fact that both bottles located in the house contained curdled formula,” she told the officers that the child looked "sickly" from the past few weeks and confessed that despite him being in that condition she “did not seek medical attention for (the child).”

According to the police, Williams’ 12-year-old son said the last time he fed the infant was two days before his death. He also said he could not remember his mother feeding the baby after that.

According to the autopsy reports conducted by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, the infant weighed just seven pounds when he was found dead. The actual cause and manner of death were unknown as further results were awaited.

Williams was held in Milwaukee County Jail and her bail was set at $5,000. She will face another trial in court which was due on Tuesday, April 21