Additional information regarding the horrific death of a 7-year-old child who was starved and tortured by several family members is provided by recently made public court filings in Oklahoma. According to court documents seen by Law&Crime, the victim’s aunt and uncle, David Yonko and Tiffany Mitchell, as well as her parents, Anthony Yonko and Lisa Mitchell, were all taken into custody in August and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of infant Violet Mitchell.
In addition to David Yonko and Tiffany Mitchell being charged with child negligence, Anthony Yonko and Lisa Mitchell are also facing first-degree murder accusations.
Doctors reported that Violet died after eating the rubber cap of a baby bottle nipple, which totally obstructed the first section of her small intestines, according to a newly filed autopsy report acquired by Oklahoma City ABC station KOCO.
The 7-year-old child was described as literally skin on bone in the Oklahoma City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner’s postmortem report, which also stated that she weighed only 29 pounds and was 40 inches long, with sunken eyes. When she was taken to the hospital early on the morning of August 2, 2024, she was wearing a 3-year-old diaper.
Failure to thrive was listed as Violet’s cause of death by the medical examiner.
According to the medical examiner’s findings, the examiner is unsure whether the intestinal blockage caused by the foreign body was an accident or deliberate.
As Law and CrimeAs previously reported, on Friday, August 2, 2024, at about 1:08 p.m., officers from the Midwest City Police Department’s Investigations Unit received a call from the county medical examiner’s office about a kid who had been transported to Saint Anthony’s Midwest Hospital’s emergency room. At approximately 11:28 a.m., the victim was driven in a private vehicle to the hospital, where she was declared deceased shortly after arriving.
Police were informed by the child’s medical staff that she exhibited symptoms of rigor mortis and may have had internal and exterior traumas.
According to the affidavit, [a doctor] claimed that while performing treatment on the child, a large volume of dark red and black discharges emerged from the child’s lips when she pushed on her stomach. The infant, who weighed just around 25 pounds and had a tail that was roughly 37 inches long, was very emaciated. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that a girl of that age weighs around fifty pounds on average.
About seven miles east of Oklahoma City, in the Vista Green apartments in the 7000 block of E. Reno Avenue, Anthony Yonko told authorities that he, Lisa Mitchell, and their kids had been residing there. According to the police, the father’s account kept evolving after then.
According to the affidavit, Anthony Yonko first stated that he went to bed at around nine o’clock on August 1st, while Lisa Mitchell and the victim slept on a tiny couch in the same room. He claimed that when he awoke the next morning at around nine in the morning, Lisa Mitchell informed him that the victim was not moving, was ill, and required hospitalization.
Although he was unable to give the buddy’s name or phone number, Anthony Yonko stated that his friend had driven him, Lisa Mitchell, and the victim to the hospital. He added that, although they hadn’t seen a doctor since the girl was much younger, they had been giving the victim soup and crackers because they thought she might have the flu.
Anthony Yonko was arrested by police and sent to Midwest City Jail, where he allegedly consented to meet with detectives again after being informed of his Miranda rights.
Police said in the affidavit that Anthony repeatedly altered his statement during the interrogation, claiming that the only individuals in the flat were Lisa, him, and the victim. Later, he claimed that when he woke up this morning, Lisa was telling him that (the victim) was not moving, and that Lisa’s sister, boyfriend, and two or three other children were at the apartment. Anthony claimed that this morning Lisa was playing with the victim, but she was not moving.
When questioned about his daughter’s malnourished condition, Anthony Yonko allegedly stated that the victim was 50 pounds just four or five days before and was in perfect health, adding that he constantly fed the youngster. He couldn’t explain why she was so ill at the time of her death and only weighed 25 pounds.
Anthony Yonko went on to explain that his brother, David Yonko, had been residing at their house and that it was his brother who had driven him and his family to the hospital.
On the morning of August 2, David Yonko reportedly informed police that Anthony Yonko was losing his mind and that they needed to take the victim to the hospital. David Yonko claimed that since he was scared and had to get to work, he drove away after dropping the parents and child off at the hospital.
According to KOCO, one of Violet’s relatives informed police that Lisa Mitchell would frequently beat her with a broom and tie her up with zip ties or threads. According to reports, the cousin promised to help Violet get out of her predicament whenever she could.
The relative allegedly told authorities that Violet’s parents would also tape her mouth shut.
According to the complaint, the cousin would attempt to remove the glue from Violet’s mouth after it was sealed shut.
Anthony Yonko and Lisa Mitchell are being held without bond at the moment. According to records, David Yonko’s bond was set at $1 million, while Tiffany Mitchell is being detained on a $5 million bond.
The defendants have all entered not guilty pleas.
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