Starved Teen Weighed 43 Pounds, Detective Says

A judge ruled Thursday that the murder charge against a mother who allegedly starved her 16-year-old daughter to death will still stand, according to a report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Ebony Berry, 35 of Mableton, was arrested on June 15 after her daughter, Markea Berry, was discovered dead and severely malnourished in their Mableton home. She has remained in the Cobb County jail since her arrest.

Police believe Berry would not get help for her daughter, who was extremely malnourished, according to Berry's police warrant.

"The thing that stood out to all persons involved is that the 16-year-old weight 43 pounds," Detective Chris Twiggs told Channel 2 Action News. "I could see most of the bones in her body. There was hardly any muscle mass left; just a skeleton with skin is the way I could best describe it."

According to a report from Channel 2 Action News, Berry's attorney said the murder charge is too harsh because she could not control her daughter's actions. Berry herself said she never took the daughter to a doctor because she did not want to be ridiculed for her daughter's appearance and did not want to be charged by police.

Berry remains in the Cobb County jail, and her other two children are in protective custody.