A Wisconsin woman facing charges in her 12-year-old son’s death late last year claims that his rapid weight loss — he weighed just 56 pounds when he died — was because he had a terminal illness.
Prosecutors, however, say Tina Beauprey simply didn’t feed or care for the boy, WLUK reports.
Beauprey appeared in court Wednesday for a bond hearing and was ordered to return to court Monday for an initial appearance. Judge Laura Lavey also ordered Fond du Lac County District Attorney Kristin Menzl to file an actual criminal complaint before she comes back to court.
A probable cause statement noted an autopsy report that determined the boy died from starvation, classifying his death as a homicide. It did not mention the child’s medical condition, which defense attorney Michael Queensland said was Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
According to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the disorder mostly strikes boys, who typically live into their 30s or even 40s. The disease presents as progressive muscular weakness and does not typically include rapid weight loss.
The probable cause statement said the boy dropped from 80 pounds in November 2024 to 56 pounds at the time of his death, with 15 percent of the weight loss happening in the five weeks leading up to his death on December 5, 2025, WLUK said.
“It appeared that during these last years, specifically, that there was care not being provided to the child, including a lack of food,” Menzl said at the hearing. “The victim’s health declined significantly in about the two days prior to his death. At that time, the defendant did not seek out any medical care for the victim, even though it was obviously he was declining.”
Queensland told the judge that the boy’s weight loss was expected because of his condition.
“The family had been informed that the child was terminally ill,” Queensland said. “He was going to lose weight. And soon, was going to need a feeding tube.”
Lavey gave Beauprey a $500,000 bond. She is charged with neglecting a child causing death, jail records show.
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[Featured image: Tina Beauprey/Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office]
