Custodial dad starves child (Chandler, Arizona)

Custodial dad starves child (Chandler, Arizona)

Valley dad of 'severely malnourished' 2-year-old sentenced
Reported by: Brent Roulier
Reported by: Deborah Stocks Last Update: 6:25 am

A Chandler father has been sentenced to 15 years of supervised probation after officials discovered that his 2-year-old son weighed less than 13 pounds. Edmundo Munoz, 31, was sentenced Tuesday. Previously, Munoz had pleaded guilty to one count of child abuse. The boy's stepmother, Morgan Lege, 25, had pleaded guilty to one count of attempted child abuse.

Sentencing for Lege has been postponed until August. The couple was arrested June 18, 2008 after a two-month police investigation found that the 27-month-old child was suffering from malnutrition and parental neglect, according to a Chandler police report.

The toddler was taken to a Chandler hospital April 26, 2008 by Lege, where medical staff performed CPR and gave the child medications to revive him. He was then flown to the Desert Banner Medical Center Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

There, staff noticed the boy weighed 12 pounds, 12 ounces, which is well below the normal weight for a child of that age.

They also saw indications the child was neglected and police were called to investigate. The boy was placed into protective custody.

The police investigation showed the child's condition was not due to any medical causes but to severe malnutrition and parental neglect, according to the report. Court documents show that during a police interview Munoz and Lege admitted to skipping medical appointments. In a police interview, police say the couple "admitted to limiting the boy's food intake because he would eat so much he would vomit. The document also states that Munoz admitted to hiding the boy's food trays at the hospital because he felt the staff was feeding him too much. From his birth until 5 months, the child lived with his biological mother. He apparently maintained a normal weight at that time.

From then until his hospitalization on April 26, 2008 the child was in the care of his father and stepmother.

While the child has been in protective custody, he has gained weight and continues to improve and move up the growth chart.