Annie Small Gorin Missouri mother charged w/ child neglect resulting in death after her daughter, Anyiah 12, kills herself a day after threatening to self harm herself while failing to lock up weapons at the home.
A Missouri mother has been arrested and charged in connection with her 12-year-old daughter’s suicide after she ‘failed to get her medical care and secure her firearms when the girl made self-harming statements’.
Annie M. Small, 39, of Gorin, was taken into custody on Friday on a warrant for neglect of a child resulting in death, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
Small’s daughter, Anyiah, 12, died by suicide on New Year’s Day in Wyaconda. Earlier that day, Anyiah’s dog was critically injured during a fight with another canine.
According to The Sacramento Bee, Small told authorities that she left her job at a bar to check on the pet and determined the animal was ‘severely injured’ and needed to be put down.
Anyiah pleaded with her mother not to do anything, but Small shot the dog in order to put it out of its misery.
‘plz help me plz plz help.’
She then returned to work and while there texted her son to ask if Anyiah was okay.
According to the probable cause statement, her son responded that Anyiah was not doing well and nearly two hours later, Anyiah fatally shot herself.
Small told investigators that while her children could access firearms, she didn’t think Anyiah had access to the one she used. It remained unclear why the parent declined to lock up all firearms at the home, particularly in light of statements the child had made in recent days.
During their investigation, authorities said they found ‘I hate life’ and ‘I am not loved’ handwritten on the ceiling.
Statements that the mother presumably must have been aware of but seemingly declined to address.
But there’s more.
The girl’s diary reportedly included the words: ‘plz help me plz plz help.’
How did a Missouri mother come to neglect her conspicuously manic daughter?
According to the Sacramento Bee, Small told authorities that her daughter said she was considering harming herself just a day before the suicide.
Small claimed that she offered to take her to get help, but Anyiah refused.
Anyiah’s obituary says that she ‘was her own person, and loved expressing it’.
‘She was very outgoing, and would wear any shade of makeup that was put in front of her, even the bold blue eye shadow and bright red lipstick.
‘One of the most important parts of Anyiah’s life was her little sister. She was always looking out for her, and cared for her deeply,’ the obituary reads.
Prosecutors did say that it was unusual to charge a parent in connection with a child’s suicide; however, they believe Anyiah’s death would have been prevented, were it not for her mother’s actions.
Offered Clark County Prosecuting Attorney April Wilson, ‘If you have serious mental or emotional injury, it can you lead you to do very serious self-harming or harming of others.’
Small is accused of neglecting her daughter by killing the dog, failing to provide the girl with proper medical care and failure to secure guns when the child was making ‘self-harming statements’.
She is being held on a $100,000 cash only bond in Clark County.
