Investigators said that a 4-year-old child nearly died from a lice infestation so extreme that doctors had to give her numerous blood transfusions.
Shyanne Singh, 26, was arrested on three felony counts of neglect of a dependent on Tuesday. She was still in the Scott County Jail on Friday, according to WLKY.
“The child had to be taken to the hospital and was declared by the hospital as a near fatality due to the lice (having) fed so long that the child’s hemoglobin levels were 1.7 rather than the normal of 12,” authorities said.
The child was unable to walk, according to police, and hospital staff told them that the girl’s hemoglobin levels were “the lowest they had ever seen.” The girl had also received four blood transfusions, according to investigators.
Following further investigation, police discovered the child had a 6-year-old sibling who was also infested with lice. The infestation was “unlike anything I’ve ever seen before,” according to the investigating officer.
A test was also performed on the 6-year-old girl to see whether her lice infestation had caused any harm. The girl had been sent home from school in March due to a lice infestation and had not returned to class for 31 days, according to authorities.
The children were put in the care of their maternal grandparents in April, according to officials with the Department of Child Services. The grandmother told police that she tried using remedies to get rid of the lice, but the pharmacist advised her to take the kids to the doctor because of the seriousness of the outbreak.
The grandmother said she questioned Singh how and why the lice infestations got out of control, but Singh claimed she didn’t know because she was in a fog.
