PERRY, Iowa — A 16-year-old girl was found dead in her Iowa home weighing just 56 pounds, investigators said.
Perry, Iowa Police said Sabrina Ray lived with her adoptive parents, Misty and Marc Ray. The couple ran a state-licensed daycare out of their home, reports KCCI.
The Rays were out of the state when their daughter died, said police.
Officers received a 911 call from the home, repots the Des Monies register. When they arrived, they found two girls, 10 and 12, in the room with Sabrina's body. The two other girls were also adopted by the Rays.
“I assumed she was just a skinny 8-year-old girl,” man says about Perry teen who weighed 56 pounds when she died https://t.co/dpOksQqocY
— Des Moines Register (@DMRegister) May 19, 2017
An autopsy of the 16-year-old's body showed severe malnutrition.
There were at least two complaints lodge against the daycare, allegedly inadequate nutrition and corporal punishments. The Des Moines Register reports that state workers found no evidence of abuse.
One parent whose child used to attend the daycare said she had no idea that Sabrina was being abused.
"I am mad at myself. I am angry,” she said. “I’ve replayed it in my head, ‘Did I miss something? Did I not catch something?'" said Amanda Howard.
Others said they thought Sabrina was about 8 years old, due to her size and stature.
The Rays also were foster parents; one of the former foster children, Marco Mendez, told KCCI-TV that the Rays terrorized Sabrina.
"She was really sweet," Mendez said. "Sabrina was the main one who got beat the most."
He said the girl would eat out of the trash she was so hungry. The other two girls, who are now under doctor's care, would hide food in their clothing to eat later, he said.
Perry residents gather to mourn, remember 16-year-old Sabrina Ray https://t.co/AzbDkAtIey
— Des Moines Register (@DMRegister) May 20, 2017
The Rays were arrested and charge with two counts of child endangerment causing serious injury, one count of neglect or abandonment of a dependent person and one count of child endangerment resulting in death. They were also charged with two counts of child endangerment causing serious injury and two counts of neglect or abandonment.
They are each being held on a $1 million cash-only bond, reports the Des Moines Register.
The investigation into the parents continue, with police looking into possible abuse of past foster children.
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