Parents charged with murder after 3-month-old baby dies from severe malnutrition

Four months after their 3-month-old daughter died from severe malnutrition, a North Carolina couple is facing a murder charge.

The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office announced that on Tuesday, September 15, a grand jury indicted Kendal Lee Hayes and Glenn John Delgreco II on a charge of first-degree murder.

The case concerns the infant’s death on May 13. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation efforts began at the home before the baby was taken to Duke Health Lake Norman hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The investigation found that the infant had lost approximately one-third of her body weight since birth. At the time of her death, she was suffering from dehydration and severe malnutrition.

An autopsy determined that her death was caused by severe protein-calorie malnutrition resulting from caregiver neglect. The case was ruled a homicide.

The indictment alleges that the parents failed to provide their daughter with necessary food and medical treatment, even though she showed clear signs of health problems.

Hayes and Delgreco had already faced charges in June of felony child abuse and aiding and abetting the offense.

Authorities have also filed charges against the infant’s grandparents, Alice Loraine Evans and Thomas Virgil Evans. The two couples lived in the same house and, according to authorities, shared responsibility for the baby’s care, well-being and safety.

On September 15, the parents were served with the indictments at the Iredell County Detention Center. Both were denied bond.