51-year-old mother, who let her 14-year-old daughter waste away to “skin and bone” and left her to rot for days after the girl collapsed on the bathroom floor, pleads guilty
West Virginia – In a heartbreaking and deeply disturbing case from West Virginia, a 51‑year-old woman, identified as J. Miller, has admitted guilt in the death of her 14‑year-old daughter, a teenager who police found “skin and bone” inside her home, apparently left for days without help. The mother pleaded guilty this week to one count of death of a child by parent or guardian, acknowledging that she failed to provide necessary care and ignored her daughter’s desperate need for help.
Initially, Miller had been arrested on April 18, 2024, on charges of murder by a parent for failure to provide necessities and child neglect resulting in death, after investigators discovered her daughter’s body. The prosecution alleged she had allowed the child to starve, withholding care and nourishment. According to police, the girl was found dead on April 17 in the family home. First responders described her condition as shocking: the teen was lying motionless on a foam pad on the bathroom floor, in an advanced state of decay after being left unattended for days.
During an earlier hearing, prosecutors alleged the victim had lain dead inside the home for four to five days before her body was discovered. The girl’s appearance was described as “emaciated, skeletal,” prompting deep concern from authorities about the neglect preceding her death. Miller’s plea marks the first formal acknowledgment of responsibility in a case also involving the child’s grandparents, Miller’s mother, Donna S., and Miller’s stepfather, Jerry S., who were arrested in May 2024 on similar charges. Prosecutors previously indicated that all adults in the household had a legal duty to care for the 14-year-old girl. But only Miller has admitted guilt so far. Jerry was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial, while Donna remains scheduled for trial in early 2026.
Records show the girl had not attended public school for years. Beginning in February 2021, she was homeschooled—a decision the family claimed was made to protect the girl and her elderly grandparents from COVID‑19 exposure. An email the family sent to the school district cited those health concerns. Investigators, however, say that homeschooling may have provided cover for severe neglect. The grandmother, Donna, told police investigators that her granddaughter rarely left the house, estimating the girl had only ventured outside twice in four years. She also admitted the child hadn’t seen a doctor in several years and noted what she described as an “eating disorder.” Authorities reject those claims and say the child’s starvation and neglect cannot be blamed on a mere disorder.
On the morning of April 17, tragedy unfolded. Emergency dispatchers received a call regarding a juvenile in cardiac arrest. When police and medical personnel entered the home, they found the girl lying motionless in the bathroom—foam pad beneath her—visibly emaciated. Despite efforts at CPR, she was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities concluded the victim had died from prolonged malnutrition and neglect, exacerbated by the lack of medical care or any intervention during her collapse and final days.
At a hearing this week, Miller formally entered her plea. Prosecutors described the girl’s death as a completely preventable tragedy. Prosecuting Attorney D. Holstein praised the decision, saying it was “satisfying” that Miller acknowledged knowing her daughter needed care and deliberately failed to provide it. He added that while nothing can bring the girl back, the plea marks a measure of accountability for a child abandoned by those who promised to protect her. Miller now faces a sentence ranging from 15 years to life in prison. She is also slated for mandatory placement on the state’s Child Abuse and Neglect Registry, barring her from future roles involving children. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 25, 2026.
Locals and neighbors in the small West Virginia community are grappling with shock, grief, and anger. Many recalled seeing little of the teenager over the past years. Some said the family kept to themselves; others admitted they lacked the access to intervene or report. Miller’s guilty plea offers a bitter form of relief to the victim’s surviving relatives and to those who tried to reach out, concerned for the child’s welfare. It’s an admission, finally, that the 14-year-old girl didn’t just die; she was left to die alone, starving, and helpless, inside a home that should have been her safe haven. As the community awaits sentencing, the tragedy of the young girl’s death serves as a painful reminder of the price of neglect and how devastating the silence of trusted caregivers can be.
