Ohio mother sentenced after toddler found clinging to life

GREENE COUNTY, Ohio (TND) — An Ohio woman who was arrested after authorities found her 3-year-old daughter barely clinging to life in squalid apartment was sentenced on Thursday.

Rabyah Muballigh, 26, of Fairborn, was sentenced to 7 to 10-and-a-half years at the Ohio Reformatory for Women, according to a news release from the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. She was also credited for nearly half of a year of jail time served.

“This is the worst case of child abuse I’ve seen in my twenty-year career," Greene County Prosecuting Attorney David D. Hayes said in the release.Muballigh is going to prison for several years, as she should. Her primary responsibility was to care for that child and she failed to do that and caused that child serious physical harm," he added. "Many parents feel overwhelmed and many parents need help. If you find yourself in a situation where you can’t handle it, reach out to the many organizations that can provide assistance.”

The release also noted the child's biological father, 29-year-old Corey Michael Moody, also of Fairborn, was indicted by the Greene County Grand Jury on multiple felony charges, including endangering children, obstruction of justice, and tampering with evidence.

Court documents show Muballigh pleaded no contest in May and was convicted on felony assault and child endangerment charges. The plea means she neither admitted to nor disputed the charges and serves as an alternative to pleading guilty or not guilty.

Sgt. Nathan Penrod of the Fairborn Police Department previously told The National Desk authorities responded to an apartment on Jan. 8, where they found the child laying in a room. The child was conscious but not alert.

Penrod said the child was was severely malnourished and only weighed 16 pounds when police found her. He said she was also covered in bed bug bites.

They thought she was dead when they walked in there," Penrod said.

Penrod shared body camera footage from police that shows the moment authorities rescued the girl.He said she was treated at a hospital for an extended period of time and slowly gained weight.

The little girl was discharged after showing significant improvement," Penrod said in a recent email to The National Desk.

In the footage, trash and other items are seen strewn throughout the apartment. Penrod said the place was "an absolute mess," adding that the girl's mattress was covered in stains.

He also said animal feces, rodents, cockroaches, insects, and flies were found all over the apartment.

It was almost on the verge of what I would consider what a hoarder would live in," he said.

Separate body camera video shows the moments police arrested Muballigh. An officer handcuffs her and she sounds as if she starts to cry.

A portion of the video is muted, but a detective later tells her he will interview her in about the case.

She asks an officer if he can release the handcuffs and re-cuff her with her hands in front of her, as she says she has spinal problems and the position she was in “really hurts.”

The officer does so and then Muballigh asks if her child is OK, but the officer tells her he is not aware of the child's condition.

“Right now, you’re being arrested for child endangering at a felony level," the officer says, with Muballigh then starting to cry again.

Moody, who was arrested Monday, remains in jail awaiting bail. He is set to go to trial Oct. 7, 2024.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: WKEF'sJeffery Schrock contributed to this report.

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