Infant Starved To Death: Indiana Couple Charged With Murder In Florida

A 22-day-old infant was found starved to death in Florida, and its parents are now being charged with first-degree murder.

According to Reuters, Ruby Stephens, 23, and Roy Stephens, 48, had traveled from Tennyson, Indiana to visit relatives in Florida, and had plans to meet with them at a Golden Corral in Lakeland. Upon arriving at the restaurant, the couple discovered that their infant, Betsey Kee Stephens, was unresponsive. The couple then called 911, but the infant was later discovered to have passed away prior to being rushed to Lakeland Regional Medical Center.

WFLA reports that the infant’s death came three and a half hours before Ruby Stephens had called for emergency assistance. Now, Stephens and her husband are being charged with first-degree murder. The couple also had two other children, a 1-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl, with them in the car. Police said those children were found to be in good health, and they have been taken into custody at the Florida Department of Children and Families.

LPD makes arrest in infant death. The infant was starved to death http://t.co/uyF34ZBEC8 #lkld pic.twitter.com/oJ4ZmYD8lF

— Sgt. Gary B Gross (@GaryBGross) December 30, 2014

An autopsy was performed on the infant, and the medical examiner revealed that she weighed 4 lbs and 1 ounce at the time of death. Her weight at birth was 6 lbs and 10 ounces. The medical examiner concluded that the infant was starved to death.

“Through examining the victim’s digestive system, it was discovered that the victim had not been fed for approximately 6 to 7 hours prior to her death, being that there was no food in her stomach and large intestines, only a small amount of feces was present in the small intestines. It was also noted that the victim was dehydrated.”

Before arriving at the Golden Corral, Ruby Stephens said she had checked her infant child’s feet and noticed that they felt cold. She covered them with a blanket, while she and her husband checked into the Comfort Inn at which they were staying. After they checked in, the couple then drove to the Golden Corral. And that’s when Stephens said she noticed her infant’s feet had grown colder, and the child was unresponsive.

Roy Stephens mentioned to authorities that the couple made stops after every 30 minutes to an hour, so the children could use the restrooms, and the infant could be fed if needed. Stephens added that the infant would cry if she was hungry, and she appeared to be OK before they reached Lakeland.

Earlier this year, the Inquisitr reported another case in which an infant child had starved to death because of neglect. In South Korea, a 22-year-old father was arrested for neglecting to feed his infant son, because he was too addicted to video games. The infant had starved to death, and its body was later discovered in a garbage bag outside of Seoul.

[Image via Twitter]