Discovery Of Emaciated Infant Leads To Mother's Arrest, Police Say

CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. — A local woman is facing a felony child abuse charge after police say they discovered her three-month-old son was emaciated and starving.

According to a court document, an investigation was launched after a hotline call was placed to the Missouri Children’s Division regarding an infant who appeared “malnourished and sickly in appearance.” A Children’s Division worker reportedly informed authorities that the child’s mother, 28-year-old Jaimie Michelle Rose, was being uncooperative after the Children’s Division had attempted to meet with her.

On Sept. 11, 2016, an investigating officer was shown a recent photo of the baby. He described the photo in the court document: “I could see a white infant child that appeared to be severely malnourished and emaciated. I could clearly see the child’s legs. They were very thin, and there was loose skin on the left inner thigh. I could also clearly see what appeared to be veins underneath the skin. Skeletal structure was also clearly visible at the child’s knee joings and in the child’s face. The child’s arms also appeared to be very thin… The child’s eyes were also sunken and had dark circles around them.”

The officer added, “I felt that the child in the photograph was in a life threatening condition and needed immediate medical attention.”

Authorities were able to track down Rose later that day; when the investigating officer saw the child in person, he later confirmed the child’s appearance matched that in the photograph.

The child was placed in protective custody and taken to Lake Regional Hospital, where a nurse noted the child’s “eyes appear to be protruding due to being so thin,” according to the court document. A physician who examined the child described him as “severely cachectic and malnourished,” adding, “It appears likely that parental neglect was involved in this patient’s condition.”

Rose was arrested and taken to Camden County Jail. She is currently facing a Class B Felony charge of Child Abuse/Neglect, and is being held without bond.