Mother pleads guilty to child neglect leading to death
A West Virginia mother has admitted to a horrific child neglect offence after her teenage daughter was starved to the point of becoming emaciated and skeletal.
Julie A Miller, 51, pleaded guilty to death of a child by a parent, guardian or custodian in Boone County Circuit Court in Morrisvale.
Her daughter, 14-year-old Kyneddi Miller, was discovered dead in the family home, with her body lying on a bathroom rug for days before police conducted a welfare check.
The grim discovery and pandemic pretext
Investigators revealed that Kyneddi had reached an "obvious emaciated, skeletal state" due to prolonged neglect and starvation.
The court heard that Miller had withdrawn her daughter from school during the coronavirus pandemic, claiming she feared Kyneddi might catch COVID-19 and spread it to her elderly parents.
Although Miller told authorities she intended to homeschool the teenager, investigators found this was a cruel deception.
Kyneddi had left the house just twice in four years and hadn't seen a doctor during that entire period, completely isolated from the outside world.
Family involvement and sentencing
Miller's parents, Donna Stone and Jerry Stone, have also been charged with death of a child by a parent, guardian or custodian.
Jerry Stone was ruled incompetent to stand trial following a mental health evaluation in September, while Donna Stone's trial is scheduled to begin on February 24, 2026.
Donna Stone allegedly told investigators that her granddaughter had an unspecified eating disorder and hadn't been eating for months before her death.
However, prosecutor Dan Holstein stated that Miller "knew that her child needed that kind of care and that she deliberately didn't get the care for her."
Julie Miller is expected to be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison when she appears in court on February 25, 2026. She must also register on the Child Abuse and Neglect Registry.
