GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The case of a woman arrested for child abuse in Grand Rapids last month will move forward to trial.
Brooklynne Davis, 24, waived her right to a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, meaning her case will go to trial.
Davis called officers to an apartment in the 500 block of Eastern Avenue SE around 5:20 p.m. on Aug. 22.
That's when Davis, who was raising three children in the apartment, reported that one of her toddlers was dead.
At the home, officers found a 19-month-old baby girl who was beyond help. Police at the scene said she appeared "very malnourished" with her skin sunken, revealing "all her bones clearly."
Her weight at the time of her death was only 13 pounds, police say.
Court documents report she was also suffering from what appeared to be severe, untreated diaper rash with open sores.
While police attempted unsuccessfully to save the little girl, other first responders noted her twin brother was lethargic and unable to hold his head up.
He was sent to the hospital, where he was in critical condition, police said.
An 8-year-old boy was also found living there. Though he didn't have any immediate medical needs, he was taken into custody of Child Protective Services due to the conditions of the home, police said.
Investigators saw signs of abuse and extreme neglect at the home. They called the area "unclean," with lice and bedbugs, along with other pests. The bathtub was filled with dirty water that had a film on top and a "strong odor," the court documents say.
Chief Eric Winstrom said he's sat down and reviewed the bodycam footage and evidence from the case.
"This has been a very long time of starvation, of not only neglect, but I would call it active neglect, when you're allowing [children] to live in a room that the floor is covered with dog feces, that there's no food for a 19-month-old in the entire house to eat, but you're taking care of yourself," said Winstrom. "You can take the time to take care of yourself, but you can't take time to even pick up the phone, to ask for help, even call CPS or call 911 earlier and say, 'I just can't handle my kids.'"
In the bedroom the children slept in, there was one mattress on the carpet soiled by "feces and other substances," police say.
An emaciated dog was also found in one of the bedrooms with no food or water. It appeared to use the bathroom in the room, too.
Davis admitted the children would sometimes go 14 hours without a diaper change or food. She said she would normally drink heavily and scroll on her phone while the children were in their room, court documents say.
Davis told police she put the twins to bed around 8 p.m. on Aug. 21. The next time she checked on them was 10 a.m. the following day. When she did, she said the baby girl was still sleeping and she left her, not wanting to wake her.
According to Davis, she checked on the baby again five to five and a half hours later and realized she was cold to the touch.
Davis called police. She told dispatch she found her daughter dead that morning, but when asked again, said just one hour before calling.
The call to dispatch came in at around 5:21 p.m. Police say this was two and a half hours after Davis said she found her daughter dead.
The Kent County Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on the girl. Her cause of death was determined to be from starvation and malnutrition, and was ruled a homicide, documents show.
Davis was arrested and charged with felony murder and child abuse in the first degree. She remains in the Kent County Correctional Facility.
“This is one of the most horrific cases of child abuse I have ever seen,” said Winstrom. “Neither the first responders or the detectives who worked tirelessly for justice will ever forget this child. We are praying for the recovery of her twin brother who also suffered unconscionable abuse.”
Winstrom said the case was so difficult for investigators that their counselor has checking in with officers who were on scene to see how they're doing.
"I'd say this is the worst thing that you can see a child that was tortured in this way, and so we care very much about our the wellness of our personnel, and we're going to take positive steps to help them out," said Winstrom. "We're very thankful that the twin brother was provided the great medical attention, still receiving that great medical attention, and hopefully he makes a full recovery and has an inspiring story to tell as an adult."
