A mother is facing charges in the death of her 13-month-old daughter and the alleged neglect of her son, four months after officers found the toddlers alone inside her D.C. home, according to prosecutors.
Valencia Duke, 25 was arrested and charged Wednesday with first-degree felony murder and two counts of first-degree cruelty to children in connection with the Jan. 18 death of her daughter, and the neglect of her 13-month-old son in Southeast D.C., U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said in a news release.
Duke appeared Thursday before Superior Court Judge Heidi Hermann, who ordered the 25-year-old mother be held without bond, according to prosecutors.
According to court documents, Duke left her two 13-month-old children alone in her residence between Jan. 14 and Jan. 18.
Officers who responded to the 4700 block of Southern Ave. SE on Jan. 18 found the girl, whose body was decomposing, and the boy, dehydrated and malnourished. He was hospitalized for several days. An autopsy determined the girl died of dehydration, according to court documents.
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