Parents charged after daughter had lice infestation so severe it may have triggered heart attack that killed her

State investigators say lice infestation worst they have ever seen

Authorities in Georgia believe that a girl had such a severe lice infestation that it triggered a heart attack and killed her. Her parents have now been charged in her death.  

WMAZ-TV reported that Mary Katherin Horton, 37, and her partner Joey Yozviak, 38, are each facing a second-degree murder charge for the death of their 12-year-old daughter, Kaitlyn Yozviak.  

The couple was also charged with second-degree child cruelty. The Wilkinson County Superior Court Judge Brenda Trammell ruled on Monday that enough evidence was present to justify the murder charges and proceed to convening a grand jury.  

Special Agent Ryan Hilton of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation told the court that the girl "had the most severe" case of lice his office had ever seen.  

The GBI's report suggested she suffered "excessive physical pain due to medical negligence."

Mr Hilton explained in his testimony that the three-year long lice infestation likely lowered the iron levels in her blood, which resulted in her becoming anemic. Eventually her condition caused her to fall into cardiac arrest and she died.  

The girl was pronounced dead on 26 Aug after her mother called first responders to report that her daughter was unconscious and unresponsive.  

The girl's mother told authorities that she had not bathed for at least a week and a half.  

When authorities arrived to answer Ms Horton's emergency call, they found it infested with vermin.

Georgia state Special Agent Mary Chandler said the girl's family had an extensive history with the state's Department of Family and Children Services.  

Kaitlyn's two brothers were previously removed from the home due to its unsanitary conditions.  

The DFCS opened another case against the family shortly after Kaitlyn was born when the family decided they were not going to put her up for adoption.  

Despite the agency's concerns, it did not receive a complaint about the family until 2018, when a call reported the home as "bug-infested [with] excessive cats, and hazardous conditions."

As result, Kaitlyn was removed from her home and went to live with her aunt. She was returned to her parents less than a week later.