A couple from the Croydon section of Bristol Township were charged Wednesday with felony child endangerment after failing to provide the necessary follow-up care for their newborn premature twins and feeding them so little that they became dangerously malnourished, Bucks County authorities announced today.
Courtney Soyka, 32, and Marcus Maddela, 45, of Coventry Avenue, Croydon, Bristol Township, were charged with two counts each of felony child endangerment and conspiracy. They were arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Terrance Hughes and sent to Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10 percent of $500,000 bail.
This investigation began in December 2024 when Bristol Township police received a referral from Bucks County Children and Youth about newborn twins born premature at 32 weeks, said investigators in court records.
The babies were born on Oct. 7 and held in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) until they were healthy enough to be released to their parents. On Dec. 11, both were brought back to the hospital after missing four medical appointments each and appearing extremely underweight for their age.
The medical appointments they missed were meant for regular weight checks since the twins were born so premature, according to authorities.
When the baby’s returned to the hospital, each one was under the first percentile for their age. One of them weighed 4.16 pounds at birth and weighed only 5.78 pounds when they returned to the hospital two months later in December. The other twin weighed 3.74 pounds at birth and 5.04 pounds when they returned in December.
The twins were immediately taken to St. Christopher’s Hospital in Philadelphia.
Credit: Kim Cruz
After three days of care, the twins were able to gain weight at a much higher average at the hospital than when they were with their parents. A St. Christopher’s doctor said that indicated that was consistent with insufficient caloric intake at home.
A doctor also indicated that both twins presented with “very poor weight gain” with no other symptoms of illness, and their conditions were able to improve significantly with only routine formula feedings by mouth at the hospital.
The doctor said that the insufficient weight gain could have been addressed sooner if the twins had been taken top their follow-up appointments with their pediatrician as scheduled.
The couple are currently scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on March 5 in Bristol Borough District Court.
This case was investigated by the Bristol Township Police Detective John Jennings and is assigned for prosecution to Deputy District Attorney Brittney M. Kern.
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