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A nine-year-old girl's mother and grandmother have been charged with first-degree murder after she was killed by a severe lice infestation.
Sandra Kraykovich, 38, and Elizabeth Kraykovich, 64, were initially arrested for child abuse.
According to court documents obtained by KOLD-TV, paramedics called to the unidentified girl's home in Tuscon, Arizona on March 22 found her 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," first responders told police after failing to resuscitate her.
Sandra told police her daughter had suffered from anaemia and had been ill since around March 15 with symptoms including fever, headaches, difficulty breathing, a sore throat and trouble keeping her balance, reports the Mirror.
According to an autopsy, the young girl died of anaemia connected to an infection from a lice infestation. Malnutrition also contributed to her death.
One of the victim’s older siblings is said to have told police that her mother tried to treat the lice using mouthwash.
Text messages recovered from the womens’ phones showed that they chose not to seek medical treatment for the child’s symptoms.
Sandra sent messages to her boyfriend on March 14 and March 15 stating that she knew she needed to get her daughter to the hospital.
A week later on March 21 she wrote: “OMG babe. Listen I’m in my room and my mom called me. [Redacted] was asking if I could check on her to make sure she isn’t dying.”
Sandra’s boyfriend reportedly told her to take the child to the hospital, but she allegedly refused.
The girl's grandmother was also aware that the child was seriously ill, threatening to call 911 as she watched her and her daughter's other children.
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However she decided against it, texting Sandra that the girl "can't go to the ER with her hair but that's left to me because you [sic] not home".
Police said Sandra admitted that her negligence led to her youngest child's death, telling an officer that "if she had sought medical care, (her daughter) would probably still be alive", according to an affidavit.
Sandra and Elizabeth were both arrested in March and initially charged with felony child abuse relating to their treatment of the child's siblings, aged 11 and 13.
Police reportedly said both children were also suffering from severe lice infestations.
The children are believed to have been placed in the custody of other family members.
Sandra is being held at the Pima County Adult Detention Center on $55,000 (£44,600) bond.
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- Murder
- Crime
- Family
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