West Virginian authorities have arrested the stepmother of an 11-year-old girl who died last year after being deprived of food as a form of punishment, Us Weekly confirms.
Shannon Robinson, 51, was arrested on Wednesday, January 14, on a single count of murder of a child by a parent, guardian or custodian. It was unclear if Robinson had entered a plea to the charge, and information about her lawyer was not available.
It was back on February 16, 2025, that first responders were called to Robinson’s home, finding the allegedly emaciated girl unresponsive and laying on the floor in the kitchen.
First responders noted that, in addition to not breathing, the unidentified girl was severely underweight. She was also found to be wearing disposable pull up diapers.
Robinson allegedly told deputies the girl had been experiencing “flu-like symptoms for approximately a week prior to the incident.” However, in time, detectives learned the girl had not received any medical care since 2020 — the year she moved into Robinson’s home.
Authorities in North Carolina continue to investigate the death of a 6-year-old girl, allegedly at the hands of her court-appointed guardian, Us Weekly has learned. Susan Lee Robinson, 61, was arrested on Saturday, December 20, and formally charged with one count of intentional child abuse resulting in serious physical injury, a felony, and four counts […]
During her autopsy, the girl’s body is said to have weighed approximately 43 pounds, and that she stood 47 inches tall —measurements medical examiners called “grossly inconsistent with her age.” The examiner also noted that the girl had a head lice infestation, an overall yellowish tint to her skin, and several protruding bones that were visible. Her body was also allegedly covered in bruises and lacerations, officials said.
A final autopsy report was issued in October. It was determined that the girl died from “bilateral, diffuse, acute bronchopneumonia,” a lower respiratory infection, “with failure to thrive as a contributing factor.”
Police said they later learned that the girl initially fell ill during the summer of 2024. She got worse as time passed, and eventually, it got to a point where she was no longer able to walk without assistance. The girl mostly slept her days away, investigators discovered.
Police said they did interview a number of witnesses. Some of them said that Robinson told them she could not take the girl to a doctor because she feared she would possibly be arrested for child abuse or neglect. They also allegedly said that Robinson would withhold food from the girl to punish her. Meanwhile, the other members of the household were provided with full meals that they ate in front of the starved child.
Authorities got a little help in their investigation of an Indiana woman who stands accused of killing her boyfriend’s 9-year-old daughter through years of systematic abuse from the woman’s own child. Alianna Maya Gomez-Alvarez was last seen alive in November 2021. Relatives called police in 2022 to report the girl missing, and in time, detectives […]
Investigators have not said whether the girl’s father, Aaron Moran, or two other adults who were living in the same home at the time, will face any criminal charges for failing to intervene or stop the abuse. But the investigation has not concluded, they emphasized.
Moran allegedly did tell police that he was aware of his daughter’s worsening physical condition.
Robinson is currently being held in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail without bond.
If you suspect child abuse, please call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or visit ChildHelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential, and the hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.