Lice infestation linked to 12-year-old Georgia girl’s death; parents charged

It’s a weird thing to sacrifice your body, spend 9 months carrying a child, have your vagina be split wide open, suffer stretch marks, then to take that child in your home, that came from your own womb, and watch it suffer till it dies….

WILKINSON COUNTY, Georgia — (AP) — A 12-year-old Georgia girl may have died as an indirect result of a severe lice infestation that may have gone on for years, investigators said.

The new details on the August death of Kaitlyn Yozviak were discussed during a preliminary hearing Monday after which Wilkinson County Superior Court Judge Brenda Trammell agreed there was enough evidence for second-degree murder charges against parents Mary Katherine “Katie” Horton and Joey Yozviak to go forward to a grand jury. The couple was also charged with second-degree child cruelty.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Ryan Hilton testified that medical records show Kaitlyn died from cardiac arrest with a secondary cause being severe anemia, a news station reported. The GBI earlier said the girl suffered “excessive physical pain due to medical negligence,” although the autopsy results are not yet complete.

Hilton testified that, at the time of her death, Kaitlyn had “the most severe” lice infestation that the GBI’s office had ever seen, and it may have lasted on and off for at least three years. He said he believed repeated bites from the lice lowered her blood iron levels, which likely caused the anemia, and may have triggered the cardiac attack.

Her mother also told investigators Kaitlyn had not bathed within the last week and a half before she died.

When agents got to the home in August, the inside was filthy and in disrepair with vermin covering the mattress, stuffed animals and other furniture in Kaitlyn’s room, Hilton said.

Neighbors told agents they hadn’t seen Kaitlyn playing around the house for the last month and a half to two months before her death.

Georgia Division of Family and Children Services documents show that Kaitlyn’s two brothers were removed from Horton and Yozviak’s home because of unsanitary conditions.

In 2008, DFCS opened another case around the time Kaitlyn was born, after the parents decided not to give her up for adoption.

The agency didn’t receive any reports on the family until 2018 where files show a call indicating the home was “bug-infested, (with) excessive cats, and hazardous conditions.”

Kaitlyn was briefly placed with her aunt, and returned to her parents’ home six days later.

The agency didn’t hear from the family again until after she died. The last entry in the file is heavily redacted and concerns a conversation between GBI and child welfare authorities.

This story was written by the Associated Press

Site Admin

Share
Published by
Site Admin

Recent Posts

Al B. Sure Issues Cease-and-Desist to Kim Porter Book Author! Denies Allegations of Sexual Relationship with Diddy

Al B. Sure! is launching legal action against the author of an unauthorized biography about Kim Porter, the late model…

2 months ago

Rapper Rich Homie Quan Dead at 34 After Alleged Overdose

RIP Rich Homie Quan. Rich Homie Quan, best known for hits “Flex,” “Type of Way,” and his feature on Rich…

3 months ago

25-year-old single mother of 2 found dead in Columbus home with her son and 3-month old baby

On Thursday, August 29, 2024, neighbors reported a foul smell in the 3300 block of Broadmoor Avenue in Columbus, Ohio.…

3 months ago

I Refuse To Let You Go: Judge Mathis Wants His Wife Back

"I know you want to leave me. But I refuse to let you go." Judge Mathis is out here singing…

3 months ago

Wells Fargo Employee Found Dead At Her Desk After 4 Days

TEMPE, Arizona — An investigation is underway after a Wells Fargo employee died while on the job. A new timeline…

3 months ago

Tee Hee! Tyrese Says His Club Shay Shay interview is going to do Katt Williams Numbers!

All Hail King Tyrese!  He has high expectations. According to the 'Sweet Lady' superstar, his interview with Shannon Sharpe on Club…

3 months ago