The 27-month-old Croydon boy weighed 19 pounds, the weight of a typical 9-month-old child, authorities said.Dino Ciliberti, Patch Staff|Updated Wed, Jan 15, 2025 at 11:12 am ETBRISTOL TOWNSHIP, PA —The mother of a 27-month-old township boy has been charged with neglect after he was found severely malnourished to the weight of a typical 9-month-old child, authorities said.Breanna Marie Newman, 27, ...
The 27-month-old Croydon boy weighed 19 pounds, the weight of a typical 9-month-old child, authorities said.
Dino Ciliberti, Patch Staff
|Updated Wed, Jan 15, 2025 at 11:12 am ET
BRISTOL TOWNSHIP, PA —The mother of a 27-month-old township boy has been charged with neglect after he was found severely malnourished to the weight of a typical 9-month-old child, authorities said.
Breanna Marie Newman, 27, of Croydon, has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a felony of the first degree, and was sent to the Bucks County Correctional Facility under $250,000 bail with 10 percent, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office said.
The toddler's condition was uncovered after a tip from Newman's friend whom she had moved in with noticed that the boy "had dramatically lost weight and his health had been declining," authorities said.
The friend told Newman about a medical assistance program, but Newman refused, fearing she could lose custody of her son, authorities said.
The Bucks County Children and Youth later received a tip about the child’s condition and went to Newman's apartment on Dec. 16, identifying him as “extremely malnourished and in what appeared to be a neglected state,” authorities said.
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The toddler was taken to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children where a doctor who heads the child protection program said the boy weighed 19 pounds, the weight of a typical nine-month-old child.
The doctor said the boy’s motor skills had declined, he had a low heart rate, low respiratory rate, and electrolyte disturbances.
The doctor noted that Newman made decisions that were in her best interest and not her son’s and never sought out medical attention after his health had declined, authorities said.
The boy has since gained 10 pounds under the hospital’s medical care, authorities said.
“This is a terrible case of abuse and neglect,” District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said.
Newman was living in Bristol Township but is originally from Indiana. Authorities said she moved to Pennsylvania in July to live with a man she met online. The relationship ended weeks later, and she moved to Montgomery County with a new boyfriend.
In November, she and a female friend moved to Croydon in Bristol Township, authorities said.