BALTIMORE — Charging documents paint a heartbreaking picture of the neglect and starvation endured by a five-year old girl before she tragically passed away.
Zona Byrd was discovered dead Monday afternoon inside her bedroom on Aiken Street
Her mother Bernice, 32, couldn't even recall the last time she saw Zona alive.
This is how detectives described Zona's appearance.
"The victim's body was remarkable for its severely emaciated state. The ribs were clearly visible and it was readily apparent that the victim was extremely malnourished."
Bernice and Zona's father, Gerald Sr., placed blame on their son who shared a room with Zona over the weekend.
The couple claims Zona complained of head pain on October 11 after she and the brother allegedly got into a disagreement, but they sought no medical attention.
Investigators took issue with this account of events because they say the brother could barely stand or walk due to his own "gaunt" condition.
Another child in the home, whose only six-years of age, was severely underweight as well at 35 pounds.
Neither parent could tell police when their children last ate. Both also refused to take responsibility for feeding them.
Gerald, 34, admitted that Zona and her brother would go through trash to find food.
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A search of the family's kitchen revealed nothing to eat within the children's reach.
However, upstairs locked in their parents bedroom closet, was several non-perishable food items.
Besides Zona, three other young siblings were removed from the house. Family relatives took custody of two, while the third required further medical treatment.
Bernice and Gerald Sr. are each charged with first and second-degree child abuse and neglect resulting in death.
Zona's official cause of death will be determined by the Medical Examiner's Office.
Unfortunately this isn't the first time the Byrd's have faced child abuse allegations.
WMAR-2 News obtained charging documents from a November 2019 incident in which their other daughter showed up to school with a black eye.
Bernice and Gerald were accused of kicking and punching the girl for not cleaning her bedroom.
The daughter also reported Gerald forced his way into her bedroom and tried stabbing her multiple times with a knife.
Court records show Gerald pleaded guilty to second degree assault and was sentenced to five years behind bars. The judge, though, suspended the entire jail term with exception to five days and two years probation. Bernice's case was tossed out.
