Mother of ‘extremely malnourished’ toddler will face trial in Bucks County for child neglect

Breanna Newman knew that her 2-year-old son was wasting away from malnutrition and neglect, but she worried that if she sought medical help for him, she would lose custody — and the Medicaid payments she received for his disability, prosecutors in Bucks County said Wednesday.

The boy’s weight had dropped to just 19 pounds, and he had difficulty moving his limbs, according to the affidavit of probable cause for Newman’s arrest on child-endangerment charges. She told police she had no plan on how to get her son the treatment he needed.

Had the mother of Newman’s roommate in Croydon not called Bucks County Children and Youth, the “extremely malnourished” boy likely would have died, prosecutors said.

Newman, 26, was held for trial on criminal charges Wednesday after waiving her preliminary hearing. She said little during the proceeding, and her attorney, Rachel Wolfman, made no statement on her behalf. She remained in custody Wednesday in lieu of $25,000 bail.

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Deputy District Attorney Kristin McElroy thanked Bristol Township police for responding quickly to the report of Newman’s neglect and getting help for the boy.

“This is one of the worst cases of child neglect I’ve seen,” McElroy said. “Obviously our number one concern is the health and safety of the child, and we’re very appreciative of the people who brought this to Children and Youth’s attention.

Now, she said, prosecutors are focused on holding Newman accountable.

“Frankly, by feeding this child, this would’ve been prevented,” McElroy said.

Newman moved from her native Indiana to Royersford, Montgomery County, in July to live with a man she met online, the arrest affidavit said. She brought her son with her, and at that point, the boy was at a healthy weight. Shortly after Newman moved in with her new beau, the man’s ex-girlfriend also moved in with the couple, and by November, they were all evicted from the apartment they shared, according to the affidavit.

After the eviction, Newman and her boyfriend broke up, and she and his ex moved together to an apartment in Croydon. Newman’s son began to lose weight after the move, the other woman later told investigators, saying she believed their mutual former boyfriend had helped feed the boy before their eviction, the affidavit said.

While living in Croydon, the woman said, Newman would leave her son lying on her bed alone in her room for hours while she talked on the phone, according to the affidavit. The boy’s ribs and spine became visible through his skin, and he lost major muscle functions, including the ability to lift his head, the document said.

Concerned, the woman provided Newman with information on how to obtain medical assistance for the child, help that she said Newman refused to get out of “fear social services would take [her son] from her,” the affidavit said.

After learning of the child’s condition, the woman’s mother called county social services.

When investigators went to the Croydon apartment on Dec. 20, the kitchen was full of trash from Uber Eats, DoorDash, and other food-delivery services that Newman ordered from for herself every day, but there was no food suitable for a toddler to eat, the affidavit said.

Doctors at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children later found that Newman’s son showed signs of cachexia, a wasting sickness, including low heart rate, low respiratory rate, and significant weight loss.

Newman, one doctor noted, had “made decisions which were her in her best interest and not [her son’s], ultimately causing his health to decline significantly,” the affidavit said.