A Missouri mother is facing serious criminal charges after authorities say her young daughters suffered from extreme neglect, leaving one child dead and the other fighting for her life.
The heartbreaking case came to light on June 14 when 29-year-old Sausha Mia Myers called 911, reporting that one of her daughters was unconscious and having difficulty breathing. Emergency responders rushed to the family’s St. Louis home, where they made a disturbing discovery.
Police found both children in severely malnourished condition. The younger girl, 20-month-old Sky, was unresponsive and had no detectable pulse. She was transported to a nearby hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead shortly after arrival. Court records cited by local media state that Sky weighed only 10 pounds at the time of her death—barely more than the average weight of a newborn. Investigators also reported that she had developed bedsores.
Her 3-year-old sister, Star, was immediately taken to the intensive care unit after officers discovered she weighed just 17 pounds. According to investigators, Star is nonverbal and displayed signs of prolonged starvation, including the growth of lanugo—a fine layer of body hair that can develop when the body is severely malnourished and lacks enough fat to stay warm.
Investigation Reveals Alarming Details
As detectives investigated the family’s living conditions, they learned the children had reportedly not been examined by a medical professional in well over a year.
According to the probable cause statement, Myers acknowledged that she was the girls’ only caregiver and admitted she knew they were not developing normally.
Authorities allege that Sky’s daily diet consisted primarily of yogurt along with fruit and vegetable puree pouches. Detectives estimated she was consuming roughly 250 calories per day—far below the approximately 1,000 to 1,400 calories toddlers generally require for healthy growth and development.
Family Says Mother Vanished From Their Lives
The allegations stunned Myers’ mother, Driyah Boss Milon, who said she and other relatives had spent nearly two years trying to locate her daughter after she abruptly cut off all communication.
In an emotional Facebook video, Milon explained that Myers had blocked family members, stopped answering phone calls, and ignored emails, leaving relatives with no way to reach her.
According to Milon, she has been raising Myers’ three older children in Las Vegas while desperately trying to reconnect with her daughter.
She said the family’s last indication was that Myers had relocated to St. Louis, but they were never able to determine exactly where she was living after she severed contact with everyone.
Holding back tears, Milon shared the pain of learning about her granddaughter’s death, saying the next time she would see little Sky would be at the funeral home.
Grandmother Struggles to Understand the Tragedy
Milon said she has found it difficult to reconcile the accusations with the daughter she remembers.
She explained that she could not understand how the situation reached such a devastating point and questioned whether Myers may have been dealing with an untreated mental health condition.
According to Milon, everyone who knew her daughter believed she deeply loved her children, making the allegations especially difficult for family members to comprehend.
Friends and relatives also wondered whether Myers had been experiencing a serious mental health crisis that went unnoticed while she remained isolated from loved ones.
A Heartbreaking Tribute to Baby Sky
Later that same day, Milon returned to social media to honor her late granddaughter.
In a deeply emotional post alongside a photo of Sky, she expressed overwhelming grief, writing that there were no words to describe the loss and that she was left with only tears and countless unanswered questions.
She said she wished the tragedy were simply a nightmare from which she could wake up, but instead she was forced to begin making funeral arrangements for her young granddaughter.
Describing the experience as every parent’s and grandparent’s worst fear, Milon said preparing for the funeral of a baby was a pain she never imagined enduring. She ended her tribute with a heartfelt message, saying she would love Sky forever.
Criminal Charges Filed
Following the investigation, Sausha Mia Myers was charged with two counts of child abuse and neglect resulting in serious physical injury. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the children’s condition and Sky’s death.
