Mom Accused Of Ignoring Toddler’s STD Infection
A Mississippi mom is accused of knowing that her toddler was infected with an STD, and refusing to seek treatment for it. Fox 10 TV News reports that Tasha Ford has been arrested and charged with crimes associated with the neglect of her 3-year-old daughter. Now authorities are investigating the depth of neglect that this toddler allegedly suffered while in the so-called care of her mother.
The child’s STD infection was discovered after she was removed from her mother’s custody last week for an unrelated reason. After she was removed from the home, she was given a medical exam by physicians at the Merit River Region Medical Center, who diagnosed her with a treatable sexually transmitted infection. The details surrounding the STD, or what exact disease she contracted, has not yet been revealed through media reports.
AWFUL: A 3-year-old from Warren County was diagnosed with an STD… Here’s why the mother was… https://t.co/9rIFFq16rm
— Marsha Thompson (@WLBTMarsha) November 2, 2015
UPDATE: Warren County mom arrested after authorities discover child has STD https://t.co/Rdr6DuiBlF via @WJTV God bless &be with this child
— Sonja McGriff (@SonjaMcGriff) November 2, 2015
Authorities in Warren County allege that 30-year-old Tasha “Norita” Ford had knowledge of her child’s sexually transmitted disease, but she reportedly chose not to seek any medical treatment for it. Authorities arrested the Mississippi mom after interrogating her about her child’s condition at the Sheriff’s Office. She is currently being held on bond in the amount of $50k, and has not yet appeared before a judge. Reports have confirmed that she has been specifically charged with deprivation of a child, which stems from her failure to seek medical care for the STD that the child contracted. Meanwhile, detectives are investigating the circumstances that surround the child’s contraction of the disease.
This is, sadly, not the only time a child’s deprivation of care has made media headlines. Back in March a Georgia mom was arrested after three of her children were found to be living in filthy conditions. Detectives found a bathtub full of feces and urine in Akilah Walton’s home. Authorities also alleged that the home was full of insects and there had been no running water on the premises for approximately two months.
In 2010, a New Mexico mom was arrested and charged with five counts of child abuse resulting in great bodily harm. Like this most recent case out of Mississippi, Amanda Lunsford’s 2-year-old son was diagnosed with an STD. Of course, by the time the STD was discovered, she had abandoned her son with her sister-in-law and fled to Oklahoma. It’s not known entirely how the child contracted the sexually transmitted infection, but Lunsford reportedly admitted to abandoning her child with strangers while she went out to drink on multiple occasions while he was in her custody. The loved ones of the abused child say that he was so traumatized by whatever it was he experienced, that they’d sometimes find that he’d sleep with a knife under his pillow.
Last year, a man named Joshua Kole Williams was arrested after a short time on the run from U.S. Marshals. He was accused of sexually molesting the 3-year-old daughter of a family friend, and infecting her with at least two different sexually transmitted diseases. The Texas man eluded capture by hiding from authorities with people who may not have realized that he was sought on child sex assault charges. Prior to his capture by U.S. Marshals, he was considered armed and dangerous with prior charges associated with possession of firearms.
Authorities in Mississippi are still investigating how the toddler in this latest case contracted the STD. Meanwhile, no reports are indicating whether or not the child’s mother has given any reason for why she failed to get her child necessary medical care.
[Photo courtesy of Warren County Sheriff’s Office]
