An Augusta woman whose baby had nearly starved to death before he was rescued pleaded guilty Wednesday, Aug. 10, to a reduced charge of child abuse.
Christine Eyton, 36, and Samson P. Mueller, 28, were indicted in Richmond County Superior Court on a charge of cruelty to children in the first degree in connection with their baby found July 18, 2019, severely malnourished, dehydrated and suffering from jaundice.
Eyton pleaded guilty to cruelty to children in the second degree with the agreement she would face no more than a maximum possible prison term of three years. Judge Ashley Wright sentenced her to three years in prison followed by seven years on probation.
Child services in South Carolina and Georgia had been called when others saw the baby’s condition. Assistant District Attorney Roslyn Norman said others who were concerned about the baby’s condition reported that it didn’t seem to be an abusive situation but one of neglect due to mental health issues and drug use. Parental rights have been terminated, and a family member who has taken the baby in is in the process of adopting him, Norman said.
The victim’s now foster mother told the judge that she immediately took the baby to the hospital and was told if she hadn’t, he would have died. She could feel bone through his diaper. They couldn’t collect any urine from his body to test.
Rosary beads were so tightly wrapped around his arm that the nurse had to cut them off and the beads left bruises. He spent days in the hospital before she could take him home, and she spent many nights rubbing his stomach and trying to comfort him as he cried because his body wasn’t used to digesting food.
But he’s better now and is a treasure, she said. His soon-to-be siblings spoil him rotten, and he is so very smart.
“I want her to know that he is taken care of, and he is loved,” she said.
Mueller has not been sentenced. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
