The grandparents of 5-year-old Kinsleigh Welty are devastated at the loss of their beloved grandchild and what she endured at the hands of her mother.
Toni McClure has been arrested and charge with murder and neglect resulting in death.
The mother's boyfriend, Ryan Smith is charged with neglect resulting in death.
First responders found the five year-old girl unresponsive in the home she shared with her mother and Smith.
Kinsleigh later died at the hospital .
According to court records, McClure initially tried to blame the girl’s father for the abuse inside the home. When that story fell apart, McClure allegedly confessed she knew she was treating her daughter wrong, but simply didn’t care.
Inside the home, police found a small closet covered in fecal matter where the girl was allegedly forced to spend most of her time.
The girl had fecal matter in her hair and on her feet. She also had lice crawling on her face and head. She weighed less at five years old than when she was two.
Police said the bedroom closet was blocked by a dresser. McClure admitted she routinely put the victim in the closet and did the bare minimum to feed her daughter, who often complained she was hungry.
McClure confessed she feared her actions would eventually lead to her daughter’s death. She said she had a desire for her daughter to be out of her life. McClure was arrested for murder after making those statements.
Brian Welty, Kinsleigh's grandfather said it's horrific. “It’s going to obviously be a memory I’ll have my entire life, that my granddaughter basically starved to death and it could have been avoided.”
Welty said he cared for Kinsleigh on two different occasions before she was returned to her mother’s custody. He was devastated to hear about the poor conditions his granddaughter was forced to endure.
Mother confesses she forced 5-year-old daughter to live in feces covered closet with little food prior to her death
She weighed less at five years old than when she was two.
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Toni McClure had a previous conviction for child neglect.
Previous court documents show that in December of 2018, police in Mooresville visited a home occupied by McClure and several children after it was reported that the mother was having a medical issue.
MPD said officers did not find McClure, who had already been taken to a hospital, at the house. However, one officer did find “one of the worst living conditions [they’d] ever seen” and a “repulsive sight.”
Inside the residence were two juveniles, a 1-year-old and a 3-week-old, whose diapers were completely full. The kids reportedly were running and crawling around on a floor covered in dirt, trash and cigarette butts. Near the children were a “filthy couch, dirty mattress and full ashtray.”
Police responding to McClure’s home said it appeared that the children had been “playing with old potatoes” and were within reach of moldy food and sharp scissors.
“It appeared the trash had never been taken out,” the responding officer wrote. “Nats were flying all over the kitchen and living room.”
In the bathroom, MPD noted that it appeared feces had never been cleaned from the toilet. Rooms were described as “hazardous nightmares for an adult, let alone a toddler and newborn.”
At that point, officers contacted Child Services to respond to the scene. When McClure was informed that DCS was at her house, she reportedly began “freaking out.”
When observing the 3-week-old girl, police noticed that she was shaking and appeared malnourished. Doctors later observed the newborn and said she was in a “failure to thrive” state and had somehow lost weight in her first 3 weeks of life. She reportedly had “filth on her head and little hands,” court docs show.
After further investigation and involvement from DCS, McClure was arrested and charged with four counts of neglect of a dependent. Court documents show that at the same time, a man named Bradley Welty was also charged with two counts of neglect.
Online court records show that McClure pled guilty to one count of neglect in May of 2020 and subsequently had her other three charges dismissed. She was then sentenced to 900 days in jail.
However, 858 days of McClure’s sentence was suspended and she was ordered to serve 540 days of probation.
‘Horrific’: Indy mother charged in 5-year-old’s murder had prior neglect conviction
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