Life sentence for mother who neglected daughter to death
Julie Miller, 51, has been sentenced by a West Virginia court to a maximum of life in prison, with eligibility for parole after 15 years. Ms. Miller was charged with causing the death of her 14-year-old daughter, Kyneddi Miller, in the Morrisvale area in April 2024. At the sentencing hearing, Judge Stacy Nowicki-Eldridge emphasized that the teenager had fallen into a state of extreme emaciation before her death.
According to records from prosecutor Dan Holstein, the victim weighed only 58 pounds (approximately 26 kg) at the time of death and spent her final days alone on a bathroom floor. Investigations revealed that Kyneddi had a history of eating disorders but had not received medical attention for at least four years prior. Julie Miller pleaded guilty to death of a child by a parent by child abuse in November.
Flaws in child protection and education systems
The case also involves the victim's maternal grandparents, who lived in the same home at the time. While the grandfather was found incompetent to stand trial, the grandmother, Donna Stone, is expected to face trial next month on charges of child neglect resulting in death. Records show that Kyneddi left public school for homeschooling in 2021, but her mother failed to submit the academic assessment reports required by state law.
The tragic death of the 14-year-old girl sparked a wave of strong criticism regarding the negligence of authorities. A federal audit report indicated that the local child protection system failed to follow protocols for handling abuse reports, including failing to conduct timely safety risk assessments. Although state police had checked on the family in 2023 following a tip, they found no signs of trouble and did not perform any follow-up checks.
Following this incident, the West Virginia Department of Human Services issued new regulations requiring all reports of child abuse to be officially recorded via a hotline. Currently, the state legislature is considering bills to reform the child welfare system to prevent similar tragedies. The new measures will focus on tightening the oversight of homeschooled students and strengthening interview protocols for children when signs of neglect are present.
