Dent County woman receives life sentence behind bars for the starvation death of her adopted child
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) -
A Dent County woman who pleaded guilty to a criminal charge in the death of her adopted daughter in 2020 will spend the rest of her life in prison.
Susan Abney pleaded guilty to one count of abuse or neglect resulting in the death of 10-year-old Josie Abney. Prosecutors originally charged her with second-degree murder in the case, but that charge was dropped as part of a plea deal in February.
Susan Abney and Randall Abney are the adoptive parents of Josie Abney, per Missouri court records. Both were initially charged with child abuse and second-degree murder in October 2020.
According to court documents obtained by KY3, deputies were called out to Susan’s house on Oct. 3, 2020, due to Josie being unconscious. When officers arrived, they noticed Josie was very thin. Her adoptive parents said she had not been eating much in the previous week. Josie later died at a hospital.
The doctor told investigators the girl was so dehydrated that they couldn’t draw her blood, and that her blood sugar was low. Investigators also noticed bruising on many parts of the girl’s body.
Deputies searched Susan’s home and found a child lock on the refrigerator and no food that would be reachable by the girl in the kitchen. Officers also found a drawer full of junk food in one room.
Randall Abney pleaded not guilty to charges of abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death and 2nd-degree felony murder. A jury convicted him in August. He is scheduled to be sentenced in November.