Denise Janelle Snow-Ingram (Maricopa County Attorney’s Office)
A 48-year-old mother in Arizona may spend the rest of her life behind bars for killing her 16-month-old daughter, claiming her “religious beliefs” kept her from seeking medical care despite the toddler weighing only nine pounds and suffering from Rickets at the time of her death. A jury in Maricopa County on Thursday found Denise Janelle Snow-Ingram guilty of one count of second-degree murder and one count of child abuse in the 2013 slaying of young Miriam Ingram, authorities announced.
“It is heartbreaking that a parent chose her own personal preferences over the well-being of her child,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement following the verdict. “This was a child who stood no chance of surviving in the hands of her own parents. It is a point of pride that our prosecutors and the victim advocate on the case defended the memory of this innocent child when almost no one else would.”
Miriam’s father, Ernest Oneal Ingram, last year pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter and one count of child abuse in his daughter’s death.
Ernest Oneal Ingram (Maricopa County Attorney’s Office)
According to a news release from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Snow-Ingram called 911 about 10 a.m. on July 10, 2013, asking for help with an unresponsive child at a residence near Seventh Avenue and Camelback Road. Once there, first responders found an emaciated Miriam, who died at a hospital.
A medical expert who reviewed Miriam’s case determined the toddler’s cause of death was malnutrition, per the prosecutor’s office. The expert also said that Miriam was suffering from Rickets, a disease caused by “an extreme and prolonged vitamin D deficiency” that results in the softening and weakening of bones in children, according to the Mayo Clinic.
“At trial, prosecutors were able to prove that Snow-Ingram intentionally fed her daughter an inadequate diet and deprived her of any medical care,” the news release states. “Although she was 16 months old at the time of her death, the child weighed less than nine pounds. Seven physicians testified about the possible causes of Rickets, and all agreed the illness is most often caused by a lack of exposure to sunlight and an inadequate diet.”
Snow-Ingram is scheduled to appear in court again for her sentencing hearing on Jan. 19, 2024.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the Phoenix New Times, Snow-Ingram and her husband told police that they had taken Miriam to a doctor once following her birth but had not sought additional medical care for the girl “due to religious beliefs.” Police did not identify a religion in the affidavit.
Miriam reportedly also suffered multiple broken ribs and other bones.
The couple had six other children before Miriam, all of whom were placed in foster care following the toddler’s death, the New Times reported.
Snow-Ingram is scheduled to appear in court for her sentencing hearing on Jan. 24, 2024. She faces a mandatory sentence of at least 23 years behind bars and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
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