Sherry Magby, Douglasville, Georgia mother charged with child cruelty after 6 kids found living in deplorable conditions, leaving children for half a day unsupervised with nothing to eat and now faces potential new charges after 1 year old child dies. Mom has prior arrest for stabbing child running away.
A Douglasville, Georgia mother is accused of forcing her six young children to live in deplorable conditions with the parent now also facing charges for leaving the kids unsupervised for half a day with nothing to eat.
Following her arrest on April 2nd, Sherry Diane Magby, 37, was charged with six counts of second-degree child cruelty. The mother could also face further charges after reports of a young baby passing away at the residence.
Investigators say six children, ranging in age from 1 to 10 years old, were left home alone for approximately 12 hours.
During that time, the 10-year-old was left in charge of the younger siblings, including a 2-year-old and a 1-year-old.
The 10-year-old told police that the children ate roaches and ants while left alone.
When investigators entered the home on James D. Simpson Avenue after being called for one of the children suffering a cardiac arrest, they reported a foul odor and found the house in disarray.
Neighbors witnessed an ambulance arrive at the home to take a one year old, FOX5 reported.
Cause and manner of death of 1-year-old investigated
The Douglas County Coroner’s Office confirmed that the 1-year-old had died. A cause and manner of death has yet to be released. Magby, who is at the Douglas County Jail without bond, could face more charges in relation to the baby’s death.
Neighbors were stunned to hear what happened, and they had no idea the kids were starving.
‘It breaks my heart because if I knew that they [weren’t] getting food I would have fed them,’ a neighbor told WSB.
Ken Howell, who runs a community outreach center nearby, echoed the neighbor’s comments.
‘All they had to do was come down here,’ he told the outlet. ‘We could have helped them get food.’
This is not the first time Magby has faced legal trouble involving children, including stabbing a child in the back with a pocket knife as the boy was running away. The episode led the parent being charged with aggravated assault and child cruelty.
According to the Douglas County Sentinel, Magby is scheduled to go to trial in May for the incident which took place in 2023.
Not immediately clear is the whereabouts of the children’s father(s) or the current arrangements for the surviving children.
