A 9-year-old girl’s mother and grandmother have been charged with murder after she died from a severe lice infection.
Sandra Kraykovich, 38, and Elizabeth Kraykovich, 64, the mother and grandmother of the unidentified child, were arrested and charged with first-degree murder in Arizona, according to LawandCrime.com.
According to court documents, the couple was arrested for child abuse after emergency personnel responded to their Tucson home on March 22 and discovered the girl unresponsive with ‘a large amount of bugs on her face.’
‘Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that there was an enormous amount of lice in her hair,’ emergency personnel told investigators.
Authorities believe text messages show the girl’s mother was aware she was ill but did not seek medical help due to lice.
Sandra stated to police that her daughter was suffering from anemia, vomiting, fever, headaches, and difficulty keeping her stability.
According to one of Sandra’s older children, her mom tried to treat her younger sister’s lice with mouthwash.
The girl’s grandmother was also aware of her daughter’s predicament, threatening to call 911 while watching her and her daughter’s other children, but finally decided against it, messaging Sandra that the girl “can’t go to the ER with her hair but that’s left to me because you’re not home.”
According to an autopsy, the young girl died of anemia caused by a lice infestation, and malnutrition played a role in her death.
The Pima County Medical Examiner determined that neglect was the cause of death for the nine-year-old.
Sandra’s 11 and 13-year-old children were placed in the custody of relatives following the mother and grandmother’s initial arrest for child abuse after police confirmed they were also suffering from a lice infestation.
According to an affidavit, Sandra told police that her negligence caused her youngest child’s death, informing officers that ‘if she had sought medical care, (her daughter) would probably still be alive.’
