BALTIMORE, Md. — The parents of a 5-year-old girl who died of malnutrition in October 2024, have both pleaded guilty to first-degree child abuse resulting in death, among other charges.
Bernice and Gerald Byrd face up to 70 years behind bars, according to the State's Attorney's Office.
Charging documents from their arrest in 2024 showed that Bernice Byrd hadn't remembered when she'd last seen her daughter, Zona, alive.
"No punishment will be as severe for these defendants as living with the knowledge that they murdered their innocent child," State's Attorney Ivan Bates said. "Today's guilty plea does ensure the safety of Zona's siblings, who are also victims of their parents' horrific actions."
Three other children were in the home at the time Zona was found dead, including a six-year-old boy who "appeared emaciated and could barely stand or walk when he was discovered at the scene," according to the State's Attorney's Office.
The boy only weighed 35 pounds. An autopsy found that Zona weighed only 17½ pounds when she died.
"As a father, the facts of this case are nauseating, and my heart continues to ache for Zona, who is gone from us far too soon," Bates added. "I want to thank the Baltimore Police Department for their diligence on this case and my Special Victims Unit prosecutors for finding a resolution that both delivers justice and spares this family from the trauma of a trial."
Bernice and Gerald Byrd are scheduled to be sentenced on June 10.
