A Bristol Township mother is behind bars Thursday charged with one felony count of child endangerment in which her more than 2 year-old son was dangerously malnourished, authorities say.
Bucks County Children and Youth responded to an apartment on Dec. 16 and treated a 27-month-old boy, immediately identifying him as “extremely malnourished and in what appeared to be a neglected state,” investigators said.
The boy’s mother, Breanna Marie Newman, was charged on Thursday with endangering the welfare of a child, a felony of the first degree, and was sent to the Bucks County Correctional Facility under $250,000 bail, 10 percent.
Newman was living in Bristol Township but is originally from Indiana, authorities said.
After being discovered at the home, the boy was transported to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children where a doctor who heads the child protection program confirmed the boy was severely malnourished and weighed 19 pounds, the weight of a typical nine-month-old child.
The doctor wrote in a 15-page report that the boy’s motor skills had declined, and his decline in health led to low heart rate, low respiratory rate and electrolyte disturbances. The doctor noted that Newman made decisions that were in her best interest and not her son’s and never sought out medical attention after his health had declined. The boy has since gained 10 pounds under the hospital’s medical care.
“This is a terrible case of abuse and neglect,” District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said. “I commend the citizen who provided the tip to police. I also commend the police and child protective services for their swift response. But for their actions and the intervention by the medical professionals at Saint Christopher’s, one can only imagine just how dire the circumstances could have been for this small victim.”
“There is absolutely no justification for this type of extreme neglect. No child deserves to suffer like this.”
The investigation found that Newman lived in Indiana and moved to Pennsylvania in July to live with a man she met online. The relationship ended weeks later, and she moved to Montgomery County with a new boyfriend, according to a press release.
In November, she and a female friend moved to Croydon, Bristol Township. The friend noticed Newman’s son had dramatically lost weight and his health had been declining. She informed Newman of a medical assistance program, but Newman refused, fearing it could lead to her losing custody of her son, said authorities.
Bucks County Children and Youth later received a tip about the child’s condition and went to the home to investigate, according to police.
Schorn commended the quick thinking of a concerned tipster that led to Bristol Township police, social workers and medical professionals getting much needed care for a neglected and malnourished child
This case is being investigated by the Bristol Township Police Department and is assigned for prosecution to Chief Deputy District Attorney Kristin M. McElroy.
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