A Nebraska woman is facing multiple felony charges after a 12-year-old boy in her care was brought to a hospital weighing just 47 pounds and suffering from life-threatening medical complications.
Authorities say Angela Lowe, 46, was arrested after taking the child to a local emergency room on Jan. 12, according to reporting from KOLN, KPTV and KLKN-TV, citing police.
A nurse alerted law enforcement to suspected child neglect after noticing the boy appeared severely malnourished and was too weak to lift himself or speak, the outlets reported. Investigators noted the child’s core body temperature was around 80 degrees, and referenced that the average 12-year-old boy typically weighs about 90 pounds.
The boy was later airlifted to a children’s hospital in Omaha, where doctors diagnosed him with septic shock and pneumonia, according to police information cited by the outlets. Investigators also believed the child may have been neglected, starved, and tortured for months, based on additional symptoms and injuries.
Doctors initially did not expect the boy to survive more than a few days, but as of Thursday, he was listed in critical but stable condition in the pediatric intensive care unit, per the reports.
Lowe has been charged with felony child abuse, first-degree assault, and false imprisonment, the outlets said.
The child was placed into state custody on Jan. 19, and Lowe is no longer his legal guardian. Court records also indicate she is prohibited from contacting him, according to KOLN. She was arrested at her home on Thursday and booked into the Lancaster County Jail, the outlets reported.
Her bond was set at 10% of $750,000, and court records state she is not allowed to have contact with anyone younger than 19, according to KOLN.
