An Ohio mother was handed a prison sentence of at least nine years for the death of her 4-year-old daughter, who was mostly fed Mountain Dew through a baby bottle. The child lost her life due to a diabetes-related brain injury.
Tamara Banks, 41, was sentenced on Friday, May 24, about two months after she pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
Highlights
- Tamara Banks was sentenced to at least nine years for the death of her daughter, Karmity, due to diabetes-related brain injury
- Prosecutors alleged that the mother subjected the child to years of neglect and abuse by feeding her mostly Mountain Dew from a baby bottle
- The child was deprived of proper nutrition and medical attention, leading to undiagnosed and untreated diabetes
"This is one of the most tragic cases I have ever encountered," Clermont County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Clay Tharp said in court, as quoted by the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Prosecutors alleged that the mother subjected her daughter, Karmity, to years of neglect and abuse.
“Due to the neglect and abuse by her parents, [Karmity] suffered for a majority of her short life,” Clermont County Prosecutor Mark Tekulve said.
The prosecutor said Tamara and Christopher Hoeb, Karmity’s sole caregivers, mostly gave the child Mountain Dew through a baby bottle.
Tamara Banks, 41, was sentenced to at least nine years in prison for the death of her daughter named Karmity
Image credits: kat wilcox via Pexels
Even though the child should have been weaned off a baby bottle, the accused mother would often mix baby formula with Mountain Dew and continue to feed her this way, prosecutors said.
The child was deprived of proper nutrition and medical attention, leading to her developing diabetes. Her teeth also dissolved due to the unhealthy consumption of the fizzy, sugary soda.
There was no evidence of the child ever having a dentist appointment. Moreover, her diabetes went undiagnosed and untreated for a long period of time. Prosecutors believe her death could have been prevented if she received the treatment she needed.
"This child did not have to die," Clay said.
The 4-year-old child was subjected to years of neglect and abuse and was mostly fed Mountain Dew, prosecutors said
The court was told how Karmity first showed signs of a “serious medical issue” about four days before her tragic death. Despite her symptoms growing worse, her parents allegedly did nothing to provide her with medical attention.
Tamara only called 911 when the child turned blue and stopped breathing, leading to first responders arriving at the scene and successfully reviving the child. However, she was alive only for a short while after that.
At the hospital, doctors found that she was brain dead, and she was eventually pronounced dead as a result of diabetic ketoacidosis.
Prosecutors noted that the prison-sentenced mother would have doctors visit her apartment for her own health checkups. She would also restock her own medicine cabinet; yet, she failed to provide her deceased daughter with any care to prevent the diabetes-related brain injury.
The child's diabetes went undiagnosed, and her teeth dissolved due to the unhealthy consumption of the sugary soda
Despite the glaring neglect, the mother claimed she thought she was taking care of her child as best as she possibly could.
"I thought I was taking care of her," the accused woman told the judge.
Karmity’s situation is also similar to what happened to Tamara’s son, who also went into a coma due to diabetes that was previously undiagnosed. The only difference is that the boy survived the 2011 incident while his younger sister did not.
“One day, he just went lethargic and wouldn’t move and the only thing he would respond to was sugar and for 36 hours, she [Tamara Banks] passed out in the back room,” said Jerry Banks, the neglectful mother’s oldest son, according to Fox 19.
“I had to wake her up and force her to take him to the hospital and that’s when he was found to be in DKA (Diabetic ketoacidosis); The same thing that happened to [Karmity]. The doctors just so happened to catch it in time to save him," Jerry added.