Toddler Starved To Death Alone At Home As Mom Partied For Six Days

A 19-year-old mother's birthday party that lasted for six days resulted in the death of her baby. The woman has pleaded guilty to manslaughter after the toddler starved to death alone in her apartment.

The incident happened in 2019 in the U.K. The mother, Verphy Kudi, went on a six-day bender to celebrate her 18th birthday, leaving 20-month-old Asiah in her East Sussex apartment, Coventry Live reported.

Kudi appeared in Lewes Crown Court on Friday to plead guilty and she was due to stand trial later this year.

On Dec. 5, 2019, Kudi left her apartment and went to London, Coventry and Solihull to party. When she returned six days later, she found Asiah unresponsive and immediately called the emergency services, Sussex Police said. The baby was rushed to the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital in Brighton, but she was confirmed dead on arrival.

A postmortem examination found Asiah's death was caused by starvation and neglect. The child had also contracted influenza.

Kudi and her daughter had been housed in a flat in Brighton by social services since Sept. 30, 2019. They lived at the mother and baby unit and Asiah was under a child protection plan. But, no social worker was assigned to the child at the time of her death.

A staff member at the mother and baby unit contacted the police after verifying the CCTV footage, which showed Kudi leaving the apartment on Dec. 5, 2019 and not returning until Dec. 11.

Her relatives who attended the court proceedings said they were heartbroken. The accused's father, Muba Kudi, said, "My heart is so broken. My daughter was missing since 14."

Another family member said, "This whole situation has completely broken my family. It might be entertainment for the rest of the world but it's totally shattered us."

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Wolstenholme, who was also the senior investigating officer, said the case was distressing.

"This was a particularly distressing case for my team and me to investigate, and has caused great sorrow amongst Verphy's family and the many agencies that have supported Verphy and Asiah. We note the guilty plea entered in this case, and continue to prepare for Verphy's sentencing in May," he said.

Last week, a U.K. court convicted a male babysitter who battered and shook a 21-month-old baby girl to death. Sean Sadler was in a relationship with the baby's special guardian at the time of the crime. Sadler called the emergency services on Nov. 19, 2017, claiming the baby, Lilly, had fallen asleep and wouldn't wake up. She was rushed to the Birmingham Children's Hospital and was put on life support. She died three days later.