Coroner: 10-year-old Missouri girl appears to have been starved to death

by: Becky Willeke, Jeff Bernthal

SALEM, Mo.- A Salem, Missouri couple is charged in connection with the death of their 10-year-old adopted daughter.

Randall and Susan Abney are both charged with abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death. The call for help was made on October 3.

The Dent County Sheriff Bob Wells confirmed that a doctor said the girl, Josie Ann, was emaciated and was so dehydrated a doctor couldn’t draw blood.

The court document goes on to say a sergeant with the Dent County Sheriff’s Department said the girls’ bones were visible and she was covered in bruises and “appeared like a Holocaust victim”.

The probable cause statement also says authorities found a child lock on the refrigerator at the couple’s home.

The document says during an interview with police, Randall Abney told police the girl was emaciated because she chose not to eat and that she does that periodically.

The sheriff called the case extremely tragic and said justice will be served.