A couple of parents from Wales, UK, are accused of negligently killing their 16-year-old daughter by allowing her to reach a state of morbid obesity. 16-year-old Kayla Titford was found dead in her bed by her mother in October 2020, and was determined to have died from health problems related to her weight. Her parents arrived in court yesterday (Tuesday) where it was determined that they would be released on bail and also banned from contacting minors.
Kayla suffered from a congenital defect called a bifid vessel (Bifida; “cleft spine”), and suffered throughout her life from multiple medical problems that caused her disability, and was not mobile. According to the indictment, the cause of death was defined as “widespread infection from ulcers resulting from obesity and complications of a girl with a bifid vessel and hydrocephalus (headache)”.
The indictment alleges that Father Alon Titford, 44, and mother Sarah Lloyd-Jones, 39, failed to ensure that Kayla received “reasonable medical help,” and were unable to ensure that her nutritional needs were met, leading to morbid obesity. They also did not make sure that she trained enough, that she had a safe and hygienic environment and that her physical health was maintained.
The investigator attached to the case postponed the submission of the conclusions until the end of the criminal investigation. “While the medical cause of death suggested by the pathologist may be a natural death, the circumstances that caused the girl’s death are being investigated by police,” he told the media. “A ‘natural’ cause of death may be considered ‘unnatural’ if human involvement contributed to that death.”