Disabled girl found dead in bag with moth balls

Disabled girl found dead in bag with moth balls

Mich. police arrest adoptive mom after body discovered in storage facility

FLINT, Michigan - Michigan authorities arrested the adoptive mother of a quadriplegic girl whose body was found at a storage facility, stuffed in a trash bag and filled with moth balls, a prosecutor said.

Shylea Myza Thomas' body was discovered Wednesday in Vienna Township. Moth balls had been scattered on top of the bag to cover the smell from her body, said David Leyton, Genesee County's prosecutor. The child's feet were hanging over the side of the bag, which was placed in a plastic bin, police said.

The girl's adoptive mother and aunt, Lorrie M. Thomas, 39, remained in jail and could face felony murder and abuse charges as early as Thursday, the Flint Journal reported.

Family members told authorities the child had been paralyzed since nearly suffocating in her crib as an infant.

'Rough go in life'
Leyton described 9-year-old Shylea's home as "absolutely filthy" and said it appeared she had a "rough go in life." Shylea, who shared a home with seven other children, was often left in bed for long periods of time, the Flint Journal reported.

Officers went to a Flint home after receiving a call from state Department of Human Services workers that the girl was missing, Detective Sgt. Mitch Brown said.

When a social worker asked where the quadriplegic child was earlier in the week, the adoptive mother allegedly said that Shylea was on her way to Virginia with a friend, the Flint newspaper reported. A wheelchair was discovered in the home.

The girl was adopted by Thomas after Shylea's mother was sent to prison, the newspaper reported.

Keisha Smith, who lives behind Thomas' beige house with green trim, told the Flint Journal she saw police searching the area and was stunned to hear of the news.

'I never knew'
Several bicycles lined the front porch of the home that sits between a vacant lot and a rundown house, according to newspaper accounts. The lawn had two bowling balls.

"I just saw kids playing out there sometimes," Smith told the Flint Journal. "I never knew.... that's crazy."

Meanwhile, the state Office of Children's Ombudsman said Thursday it will open an investigation into the death. The agency investigates complaints involving children who are involved with Michigan's child welfare system for reasons of abuse or neglect, and checks to see if public or private agencies followed laws and policies.