St. Louis Metropolitan Police received a call on June 14, 2026, from a woman claiming her daughter was unresponsive and struggling to breathe. Officers responded to an apartment building on the city’s North side and found two severely malnourished toddlers. Emergency crews rushed the little girls to St. Louis Children’s Hospital, where staff pronounced the 1-year-old deceased and admitted the 3-year-old for treatment. Police arrested their mother, 29-year-old Sausha Mia Myers, who now faces child abuse and neglect charges.
Myers allegedly severely neglected her two children.
According to a probable cause statement, when officers arrived, they found the 1-year-old baby on the floor unresponsive. EMS could not find a pulse and rushed the baby girl to the hospital, where staff pronounced her dead just after 5:30 p.m. Police stated in their report that the baby had “pressure marks or bed sores on her back and head.” She was 20 months old and weighed just 10 pounds at the time of her death.
When doctors examined her sister, they found the child was completely nonverbal and showed signs of abuse. She weighed 17 pounds and had lanugo or “soft downy hair that grows as a survival mechanism to insulate the body to retain heat when there is insufficient body fat to keep the body warm.”
Police took Myers into custody at the hospital.
During an interview with police, Myers reportedly admitted her children had not seen a doctor for more than a year. She informed officers she understood that neither child was reaching appropriate milestones, per the probable cause statement. When speaking with Myers, the mother reportedly told officers her 1-year-old daughter lived on a diet of yogurt, vegetable pouches, and fruit pouches. Detectives determined she ate less than 250 calories per day. Myers claimed she knew her daughter’s health had deteriorated in the past several weeks, but did not seek medical care until she called 911.
Myers’ story saddened many people.
As the news of Myers’ arrest spread on social media, people shared strong opinions. Many feel that Myers experienced a mental health crisis…