By Steve Marroni, Penn Live
A Chambersburg woman is facing charges after authorities say she failed to feed her 16-year-old son, who weighed just 26 pounds when he was checked into the hospital in October.
Elisabet Estrada, 41, was charged with one count of aggravated assault and two counts of endangering the welfare of children, all felonies, court records show.
The Chambersburg Pubic Opinion is reporting that on Oct. 24, police were called to assist Franklin County’s Children and Youth Services at a home on Kelhigh Drive, from where the 16-year-old boy had been admitted to the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, weighing just 26 pounds.
While the other siblings in the home appeared to be in good health, the 16-year-old was emaciated, frail and ravenously hungry, according to reports.
Fox 43 reports Estrada told medical personnel her son was born in December 2002 and weighed 6 pounds. When he was 3, he weighted 22 pounds. The next time he received medical care was a year ago at a walk-in clinic when he weighed 25 pounds, reports indicate.
By the time he was admitted to Penn State Hershey for extreme undernourishment in October, he weighed 26 pounds, reports indicate.
Police noted he was developmentally delayed and does not speak.
In his first day at the hospital, he gained 2.2 pounds, and he weighed 45 pounds by the time he was discharged Dec. 2, growing in both height and weight because he was receiving appropriate nutrition, according to reports.
During the investigation, Penn State Hershey medical personnel told police the 16-year-old’s condition was the result of medical neglect and the failure to appropriately feed him, according to reports.
Court records state Estrada is in Franklin County prison, unable to post bail, and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Tuesday.
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