A Starved Infant, A Severely Malnourished Disabled Woman, And A Possible Cult Connection In Bizarre Georgia Murder Case

When police in Gwinnett County, Georgia investigated a suspected case of child neglect at a hotel room in the Atlanta suburb of Peachtree Corners, what they found was far worse than they could have imagined: a severely disabled woman so malnourished that she weighed only 59 pounds, and three other children so starved that they were near death.

The case began, according to Salt Lake City’s KSTU, when the mother of a 15-month-old infant brought the starved baby to an Atlanta-area hospital. Doctors there determined that the baby was dead on arrival.

When police investigated the Extended Stay Suites in Peachtree Corners where the family was living, they found 21-year-old Iasia Sweeting, a severely-disabled woman who had been missing since 2010. She was found wrapped in blankets on the floor, and so malnourished that she weighed only 59 pounds. Cpl. Ed Ritter of the Gwinnett County Police Department said the disabled woman was near death.

“We believe that if there wasn’t an intervention now, she would eventually die, and fairly soon.”

Police also found three other children, aged five, three, and three, who were also severely malnourished, according to The Raleigh News Observer.

Further investigation revealed a disturbing story of incest, exploitation, child neglect, and a possible cult connection.

Forty-four-year-old Calvin McIntosh, and his daughter, 23-year-old Najaa Mcintosh, have both been arrested and face a variety of charges including child abuse, child neglect, cruelty, murder, and other charges.

Police say that Calvin fathered two of the malnourished children with his daughter Najaa, and the other two – including the infant who starved to death – with Iasia. Najaa revealed that the children were starved as punishment for disobedience.

“It was under [Calvin’s] direction that if anyone was disobedient in the house, [Najaa] is to deprive them of food.”

Police also found “copious amounts” of literature and documents related to The Nuwaubian Nation of Moors, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Nation was an Islam-based cult that operated out of the Atlanta area as recently as 2004. The cult considered itself not accountable to the laws of Georgia, and instead only to the laws of its leader, Dwight “Malachi” York. York was convicted of having sex with the children of his followers, among a variety of other crimes, and is currently serving a 135-year sentence.

“The children speak in a different language, they don’t speak English. They were raised on this language which is part of the Nuwabian Nation of Moors.”

The three remaining malnourished children are currently receiving medical care, as is Iasia, and the kids have been placed in the care of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services.

[Image courtesy of: WXIA]