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 died Monday afternoon inside her bedroom on Aiken Street.
Her mother Bernice, 32, told police she couldn't even recall the last time she saw Zona alive.
This is how detectives described Zona's condition.
"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 along with Zona's father, Gerald Sr., appeared to place 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 sought no medical treatment.
Investigators, however, 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, who is only six-years of age, appeared severely underweight as well at 35 pounds.
Neither parent could tell police the last time their children 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.
RELATED: Police arrest parents of 5-year-old found dead in East Baltimore home
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 located inside the house. Two were sent to stay with family relatives, 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.
The daughter accused Bernice and Gerald of kicking and punching her 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.
