A 13-year-old boy was found starved to death in an Alabama hotel room and his mother is on the run after she was charged with abuse and neglect in connection with his death.
Officials say that Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service were called to the Extended Stay America off US 280 on March 2 around 7.30am.
The victim, identified as Aston Starkey, was rushed to Grandview Medical Center. Hospital officials later pronounced the boy dead and determined he had been diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome.
Shelby County Coroner Lina Evans told Birmingham police on June 6 that the boy’s autopsy results showed that he died from malnutrition and dehydration complicated by neglect, AL.com reported. The medical examiner’s office ruled the manner of death a homicide.
A preliminary investigation also showed that the boy died under suspicious circumstances.
The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office issued a warrant for the boy’s mother, Serena Starkey, 53. Authorities have been looking for her since June 7. She’s been described as a white female.
The child was born in Florida and police said that he and his mother moved frequently and had only been living in Birmingham for about a year. It’s possible that the two previously lived in Montgomery, Alabama, police said.
According to the outlet, the boy’s death is the 67th homicide in Birmingham this year.
