Inset: Sherry Leak (Muskegon County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The Clover Estates Mobile Home Community in Michigan where Leak allegedly killed her adopted daughter (Google Maps).
A 55-year-old mother in Michigan is accused of killing her 11-year-old adopted daughter, allegedly sitting on the child until she lost consciousness and died.
Sherry Leak was taken into custody over the weekend and charged with one count of manslaughter in the death of Mialah Leak, authorities announced.
According to a news release from the Fruitport Township Police Department, officers responded to a home in the Clover Estates Mobile Home Park regarding a report of an unresponsive 11-year-old girl. The mobile home park is about 190 miles northwest of Detroit.
Upon arriving at the home, first responders said they located the child, later identified as Mialah, who was unconscious and not breathing. Emergency medical personnel attempted to resuscitate the girl, but were unsuccessful. Police said they took the victim’s mother into custody at the scene, but did not provide additional details as a decision on pending charges had to be made by the Muskegon County Prosecutor’s Office.
Deputy Police Chief Gregory Poulson provided some additional details about the 911 call, which was placed by Leak, to the Grand Haven Tribune newspaper.
“Initial reports were that there might have been a physical altercation between the daughter and mother, even in regards to the mother trying to restrain the daughter,” he reportedly told the paper. “We have been in close contact with our prosecutor’s office and getting some direction from them. Unfortunately, the 11-year-old did pass away, and there was an autopsy conducted today. Our detectives are continuing to investigate this incident.”
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Prosecutors provided a more detailed summary of the allegations against Leak when she appeared for her arraignment in Muskegon County District Court on Tuesday morning, including how Mialah allegedly died.
“This is obviously, as the Court is aware of, a very serious matter and does involve the death of the young child in this case. Certainly, this does not appear to be a case where there’s any question about who is responsible,” Muskegon County Prosecutor’s Chief Trial Attorney Matt Roberts told the court, according to Grand Rapids ABC affiliate WZZM. “At least the evidence at this point has led us to the conclusion that the defendant in this case, by her own admission, did sit on the child, and that appears to have been the cause of death here.”
The prosecutor did note that his office was still waiting on the results of Mialah’s autopsy, which had already been conducted.
Since Leak’s arrest, Child Protective Services filed a petition seeking to strip Leak of any parental rights to Mialah’s twin sister. The surviving child was reportedly hospitalized following Mialah’s death.
Leak is being held in the Muskegon County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bond, records show. The court appointed a public defender to represent Leak, who is currently scheduled to appear in court again on Dec. 9 for a probable cause conference.
A neighbor told WZZM that Leak adopted the twins when they were very young, but claimed Leak and Mialah had a very contentious relationship.
“They fight a lot,” the neighbor told the station. “Okay, I’ve seen some things I would rather not see, and I’ve heard things I’d rather not hear.”
The neighbor added, “You live in a trailer park. You see every[thing], you hear everything in it.”
