“FRESH AIR FROM OUTSIDE WOULD HELP HER”!!! BELIEVE IT OR NOT, AUTHORITIES SAY A NORTH DAKOTA MOTHER NEVER SOUGHT MEDICAL HELP AS HER SEVEN-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER DIED OF BACTERIAL MENINGITIS… AND SHE IS NOW CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER.
A North Dakota mother is facing a manslaughter charge following the death of her seven-year-old daughter.
According to reports, the child died after developing meningitis and was never taken to a doctor.
The McKenzie County Sheriff’s Office arrested 32-year-old Jerika McNeely on Tuesday, August 25.
The arrest was made in connection with the child’s death in May, the sheriff’s office stated in a news release on Wednesday, August 26.
McNeely is accused of neglecting her daughter’s condition caused by bacterial meningitis, according to authorities.
She is also accused of failing to seek medical attention for the girl, KVLY-TV reported.
Deputies initially responded to McNeely’s home on May 15.
The seven-year-old girl was reported to be unresponsive when authorities arrived, according to the sheriff’s office.
“Despite the lifesaving efforts, the child was pronounced deceased,” the sheriff’s office said.
“In the months following the child’s death, investigators conducted an extensive investigation regarding the circumstances surrounding the child’s death,” the office added.
An investigation revealed the child grew ill around five days before she died, according to an affidavit obtained by KVLY-TV.
Prior to her death, the girl reportedly could no longer walk.
She could no longer sit up.
The girl’s siblings told investigators that they watched her physical condition worsen.
They saw that she needed to be carried around because she struggled to independently move, the affidavit said.
And the siblings shared to investigators that McNeely thought fresh air from outside “would help” her daughter, KVLY-TV reported from the affidavit.
One of McNeely’s other children expressed concern that the girl should be seen at a hospital, according to authorities.
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Yet McNeely never sought help for her daughter, according to the affidavit.
The mother had access to a car.
She was located near medical centers.
The girl ultimately died of streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis complications, according to the North Dakota Forensic Examiner’s Office.
The forensic examiner’s office ruled the seven-year-old’s death a homicide.
The office determined the death occurred as a result of the child not receiving necessary medical attention, according to the affidavit obtained by KVLY-TV.
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a bacteria that causes pneumococcal meningitis, according to the Meningitis Research Foundation.
The UK-based charity notes online that the illness is “one of the most life-threatening causes of bacterial meningitis.”
Symptoms of the illness can include fever and vomiting.
An infected person may also appear sleepy or “difficult to wake,” the charity states.
“People with pneumococcal meningitis will get worse fast,” the Meningitis Research Foundation warns.
The foundation advises caregivers to “check regularly on someone who is unwell.”
On August 26, McNeely made her initial appearance in court.
She is scheduled to return to court on November 5.
That proceeding is set for a preliminary hearing and arraignment, KVLY-TV reported.
Information on whether McNeely has retained legal counsel was not immediately available.
She had the vehicle.
She had the nearby facilities.
The charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.
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