Infested with lice, 12-year-old dies of heart attack

A 12-year-old American girl died of a heart attack following an infestation of untreated lice. Her parents were arrested and charged with second degree murder.

A 12-year-old child was so infested with lice that it would have been enough to kill her, according to a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent. Kaitlyn Yozviak died of a heart attack believed to have occurred from an untreated lice infestation.

The cause of death was listed as cardiac arrest while severe anemia is believed to be the second. "She would be the result of repeated lice bites which would then have lowered his iron level in the blood ", Brent Cochran, senior assistant prosecutor for the city where the girl resided, told Boston.com.

However, this conclusion divides doctors and scientists. Child protection specialists have highlighted their deep concerns over how the Covid-19 pandemic is cutting many children off from teachers, counselors and doctors who could report possible signs of neglect or abuse, especially among children whose families are victims of the economic crisis.

The girl's parents, John Joseph Yozviak and Mary Katherine Horton were arrested and charged with second degree murder and second degree child cruelty. Under a Georgia law passed in 2014, charges of second degree murder can be brought against a person if there is evidence that a child died in their care due to negligence.

Forensic pathologists should determine the official cause of death. The child had no bruises on his body. She was not malnourished and had just eaten before her mother found her unconscious.

John Joseph Yozviak's lawyer Keri Foster Thompson said his client was innocent, "devastated and heartbroken". "The evidence will ultimately show that Mr. Yozviak was a loving and devoted father."

"Body lice can carry life-threatening bacteria, but head lice need a living host to continue to feed on blood"said Alejandra Perotti, professor of invertebrate biology at the University of Reading in England. According to her, the fact that the lice would have killed the girl is "an exaggeration". She specifies that "Such infestations are very common in cases of children and the elderly who are neglected by guardians or parents". It is this neglect that then leads to a general deterioration in the state of health.

"There have been a handful of cases of children with severe lice infestations who have been hospitalized with low levels of anemia"explained Dr. Mary Groll, a pediatrician and professor of health sciences at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. However, she said, concluding that lice are the cause of death is premature because it is important to study other factors, such as diet or menstruation.

Effective tips against lice

Video by Juliette Le Peillet