A Tennessee toddler may have spent up to a week alone in her crib after the death of her grandmother.
Annette Ineichen was looking after her 15-month-old granddaughter, Brier, while her daughter, Tracy Ineichen, was in Blount County Jail, according to WATE 6.
Last Saturday, however, Tracy told her boyfriend, Anthony Waldo, she hadn't heard from her mother since November 7.
Waldo went to Annette's Maryville home to check on things and was able to see, through the window, baby Brier sobbing and reaching out to him from her crib. After receiving instructions from Tracy to break into the home, Waldo went inside to find an obviously malnourished baby.
He said Brier smelled of urine, had swollen lips and was so dehydrated she couldn't even make tears come out of her eyes.
Waldo told WVLT,
When I grabbed her, she just couldn't hold her head up. She was just hugging on me and collapsed on me.
Waldo then opened the bathroom door and saw Annette's dead body on the floor.
Police arrived at about 1:30 pm and determined Annette could have been dead for up to seven days.
Brier was reportedly taken to East Tennessee Children's Hospital to be treated for severe malnutrition and dehydration.
Her new home will be decided by the Department of Children's Services, but Waldo is hopeful he will gain custody of the child.
Citations: Maryville toddler survives alone for several days after grandmothers death (WATE), Man saves toddler living alone with dead grandmother (WVLT)
