'I just got tired of always changing the sheets': Military mom, 21,
'let her toddler die because she was too depressed about her husband's
deployment'
- Tiffany Klapheke, 21, charged with three felony counts of injury to a child after her 22-month-old daughter died
- Autopsy found daughter lacked basic care and was dehydrated and covered in chemical burns
- At time of death, child weighed only 17.5 pounds
- Klapheke admitted that she should have taken better care of her daughter
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Neglect? Tiffany Nicole Klapheke claims her military husband's deployment left her too stressed to care for her three children
A Texas woman who claims her military husband's deployment overseas left her too stressed to care for their three young children, one of whom died, remained jailed Friday in connection with their alleged neglect.
Tiffany Nicole Klapheke is charged with three felony counts of injury to a child in connection with her 22-month-old daughter's death and the severe neglect of her two other daughters, ages six months and three years, Abilene police said.
Her toddler suffered from dehydration and malnutrition from a lack of basic care over a period of time, according to the preliminary autopsy report from the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office in Fort Worth.
Klapheke, 21, remained in the Taylor County Jail in Abilene with bonds totalling $500,000. She does not yet have an attorney, according to jail records.
The
report also shows that the toddler weighed only 17.5 pounds and her
body had chemical burns, indicating the child was exposed to human
waste.
The toddler died at an Abilene hospital after being found unresponsive at her Dyess Air Force Base home Tuesday.
The woman's two other daughters were treated for severe neglect at a children's hospital in Fort Worth, about 150 miles east of Abilene. They were to be taken out of intensive care soon, Abilene police said.
Absence: Klapheke, pictured with her husband, said that she was stressed and depressed after his deployment and that's why she couldn't tend to their children
Home life: The husband, pictured in their Texas home with an infant, presumably their youngest child; MailOnline has blurred their face
Marleigh Meisner,
spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services,
said her office has custody of the two girls.
Meisner declined to discuss whether Klapheke had a prior history with the agency. Her office is talking to relatives as part of its 30-day investigation to determine the best placement for the children, she said.
I have suffered from depression and yes at times did not want to take care of my kids. Lucky for me I had family to help me and would take the kids for awhile. I wonder where she lived and if neighbors ever notice anything. I also wonder if she ever told her husband anything when he would call. She is young and with three little ones. No family and no husband. This does not excuse her and she does have to pay for the death of her little one.
share birthdays??
- kgmmw
on Sep. 5, 2012 at 9:05 AM