A 51-year-old mother in West Virginia could face life in prison for her involvement in starving and neglecting her 14-year-old daughter, who authorities claimed had been dead for days when they discovered her in a “emaciated” and “skeletal state” inside the family’s house last year.
Julie Ann Miller appeared in Boone County Circuit Court on Friday and formally pleaded guilty to one count of child death by parent, guardian, or custodian in connection with Kyneddi Miller’s death, according to court records.
Miller was initially charged on April 18, 2024, with one case of murder by a parent for failure to provide essentials and one count of child negligence causing death. She initially pled not guilty to the allegations, and her trial was scheduled to start on December 2 when her defense attorney reached an agreement with prosecutors.
Miller’s mother, Donna Stone, and stepfather, Jerry Stone, were arrested in May 2024 and charged with the same offenses as him.
After a court-ordered mental health evaluation, a judge concluded in September that Jerry Stone was unable to stand trial. Donna Stone is due to be tried on murder and negligence charges on February 24, 2026.
As previously reported, on the morning of April 17, 2024, deputies from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office and emergency medical personnel responded to a call about a juvenile female in cardiac arrest at a home in the 400 block of Cameo Road in Morrisvale, West Virginia. Kyneddi, her mother, and her grandparents shared the home, which is approximately 30 miles southwest of Charleston.
When first responders arrived at the address, they discovered the teen in a horrific state inside one of the home’s bathrooms, according to Charleston ABC and Fox station WCHS, citing the criminal complaint.
First responders discovered the victim unmoving on the floor, on a foam pad. She was pronounced dead on the scene.
During an August 2024 court hearing, Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Holstein stated that the kid had been in the same location where she was discovered dead for four to five days, according to local CBS affiliate WOWK.
According to the sheriff’s office, the victim’s “appearance was shocking with an obvious emaciated, skeletal state.”
Donna Stone reportedly told police investigators that Kyneddi had not attended school in four or five years. Authorities also stated that the grandmother informed them she believed Kyneddi had only left the Cameo Road home and gone outside about twice in the previous four years.
According to investigators, Miller began homeschooling her daughter in February 2021, ostensibly for medical reasons. According to an email acquired by WCHS, Miller informed Boone County School District officials that because they lived with Kyneddi’s elderly grandparents, they were afraid about the child acquiring COVID-19 and transmitting it to Donna and Jerry Stone.
