Missouri Woman Charged With Starving Child

A northwest Missouri woman accused of letting her 7-month-old son starve to death made her first appearance in Buchanan County Court, where a judge declined to reduce her bail.

Twenty-two-year-old Macayla Armstrong of St. Joseph is charged with failing to provide reasonable and necessary care for her son, Anthony Douglas Armstrong, who died Saturday. The state alleges the boy died of malnutrition and neglect.

The St. Joseph News-press reports Buchanan County prosecutor Dwight Scroggins said he was concerned Armstrong was a flight risk and a danger to her 5-year-old daughter and her unborn child. The 5-year-old is in the custody of Missouri social services.

The judge declined to reduce Armstrong's $50,000 bail and encouraged her to apply for a public defender. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 9.