Inset: Janette Clayton (North Charleston Police Department). Background: The area near where police found Clayton’s 11-month-old dead in North Charleston, S.C. (Google Maps).
A South Carolina woman is facing upgraded charges after her 11-month-old child was found dead inside a filthy and insect-ridden apartment, according to law enforcement in the Palmetto State.
Over the summer, Janette Clayton, 27, was charged with three counts of unlawful conduct toward a child over the allegations, the North Charleston Police Department said in a press release at the time.
Now, the defendant stands accused of homicide by child abuse, according to a press release and arrest warrant affidavit issued by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) this week.
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The grim discovery of the deceased child was made on June 17, just before 1:30 p.m., at an apartment on Eleanor Drive in North Charleston. The child was found “emaciated and weighed approximately 4lb 13oz,” according to the charging document.
“When they arrived, North Charleston firefighters were performing lifesaving measures on the infant, who was found partially wrapped in a blanket near the front doorway,” the police department said.
Ultimately, EMS pronounced the child dead at the apartment. Police said that a protective sweep of the unit “revealed a lack of items necessary for child care,” and investigators determined that the infant had been in “unsafe living conditions,” according to police.
Investigators say the charged behavior occurred long before the child was found.
As it turned out, the victim was born prematurely in July 2025 and diagnosed with sickle cell disease, which required consistent medical appointments, according to SLED. But Clayton allegedly did not take the child to a single one of those appointments.
The affidavit elaborates on the inside of the residence.
“The home was in deplorable condition and infested with cockroaches and flies,” the charging document goes on. “The home was also devoid of necessary foods for [the child].”
That view of the apartment tracked with what police described.
“Investigators later executed a search warrant and reported finding no food or child-care supplies inside the home,” police said. “Authorities also observed a severe insect infestation throughout the residence, including in the refrigerator and drawers.”
After SLED took the reins, a medical examiner performed an autopsy which “revealed [the child’s] cause of death was starvation with acute bronchopneumonia due to neglect,” the agency said.
When police first arrived at the residence, the defendant was waiting outside with the deceased child’s paternal grandmother and her two other children, according to Charleston-based CBS affiliate WCSC.
The defendant was arrested on the lesser initial charges over the summer and has been detained since at the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center in Charleston County, court records show.
On Wednesday, SLED charged Clayton with homicide. The case will be prosecuted by the 9th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
The post Mother facing upgraded charges after ’emaciated’ 11-month-old weighing just over 4 pounds found dead in filthy apartment, authorities say first appeared on Law & Crime.
