A mother has been charged with murder after her 13-month-old daughter was found dead in a playpen, having allegedly been abandoned for days alongside her twin brother.
Valencia Duke, 25, is behind bars without bond after her baby girl, Mazouri Jones, was discovered decomposing in a playpen in a squalid Washington DC apartment. The mother allegedly left her 13-month-old twins alone for days, resulting in one death and the other fighting for survival.
Harrowing Discovery
Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to a property on January 18 following reports of an unresponsive child. Inside, they found twin toddlers in a playpen. Mazouri was pronounced dead at the scene, while her twin brother was found alive next to her body.
Investigators determined that Duke had left the infants entirely on their own for several days. When informed of her daughter's death, she reportedly showed no emotion.
Appalling Conditions
Court documents revealed stomach-churning conditions inside the home, including bug-infested baby formula, rancid liquids, and bags containing crack cocaine. Duke allegedly confessed to abandoning the toddlers for days, claiming she was only in the apartment with them for two hours over a 92-hour period.
The surviving twin was rushed to the hospital suffering from hypothermia, with visible ribs and extreme starvation. In a heartbreaking act, the boy tried to eat a medical provider's stethoscope, mistaking it for food.
Autopsy and Charges
An autopsy confirmed that Mazouri died from dehydration and malnourishment due to severe neglect, ruling her death a homicide. Duke was arrested on June 3 and charged with first-degree felony murder and cruelty against children. She is currently pregnant and remains in custody without bond ahead of a preliminary hearing scheduled for Thursday, June 11.
