SHYLAE THOMAS - 9 yo /Quadriplegic - Flint MI

A year before she died, Shylae Thomas, though disabled, had the
trademarks of a healthy child: bright skin, vibrant eyes and full
cheeks.
By the time she died, her eyes and cheeks were sunken, her ribs
jutted from her body and bedsores had worn through her scant muscle
tissue to the bone. The 9-year-old's weight had fallen from about 70
pounds to just 33 pounds.That
is how forensic pathologist Allecia Wilson of the Genesee County
Medical Examiner's Office described the body found shoved in a plastic
box inside a storage bin near Flint."She
was severely underweight," Wilson testified Thursday in Flint's 68th
District Court during the second day of a preliminary exam for Shylae's
aunt and caregiver, Lorrie Thomas.She
could be charged with second-degree murder, second-degree child abuse
and welfare fraud in the death. Thomas sat through much of Thursday's
hearing shaking her head in disagreement with the prosecution's four
witnesses.Judge
Tracy Collier-Nix again delayed deciding whether Thomas will be tried
on the charges. At issue is whether Flint police should have continued
interviewing Thomas after she mentioned the possible need for an
attorney.The
matter will return to court Oct. 13, Collier-Nix said, to give her time
to review Thomas' interview with police. Thomas has remained in jail
since her arrest five months ago. Her niece's body was discovered April
23 after authorities began to doubt Thomas' claim that her quadriplegic
niece was in Virginia with a relative.Authorities
say they believe Shylae died March 8, two days before Thomas rented the
storage unit where the girl's body was found, testified Sgt. Mitch
Brown.

A woman has been ordered to stand trial on charges including second-degree
murder in the death of her adopted quadriplegic daughter whose body was found in
a storage unit.
Judge Tracy Collier-Nix of 68th District Court made her ruling on
Tuesday.
Forty-year-old Lorrie Thomas of Flint will stand trial on six charges.
Authorities believe 9-year-old Shylae (sha-LAY) Thomas had been dead for six
weeks when her body was discovered inside a 33-gallon container in a storage
unit on April 22.
An autopsy indicated the cause of death was neglect, malnourishment and
dehydration.
Defense attorney Mark Clement denies that Thomas, who was Shylae's aunt,
starved the girl.
Thomas is set to be arraigned Monday in circuit court.

The following is a message from Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton:

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton announced today that Lorrie Mae Thomas
has pleaded no contest in Genesee County Circuit Court to charges
related to the homicide of her 9-year-old daughter, Shylae Thomas.Thomas,
40, of Flint, plead to Involuntary Manslaughter, a 15-year felony, and
four additional felonies and one misdemeanor. The body of Shylae, a
quadriplegic, was found by police in the early morning hours of April
22, 2009 in a storage facility in Vienna Township, near Mt. Morris just
north of the City of Flint.The
Court accepted Thomas’ no contest plea, which is treated the same as a
guilty plea or a conviction for sentencing purposes, to the following
charges:
Count 1: Involuntary Manslaughter Felony: 15 years and/or $7,500 fine
Count 2: Child Abuse – Second Degree Felony: 4 years
Count 3: Tampering with Evidence – Criminal Case Punishable By More Than 10 Years Felony: 10 years and/or $20,000
Count 4: Fraud – Welfare – Over $500 Felony: 4 Years and/or $5,000
Count 5: Fraud – Welfare (Failure to Inform) - $500 or More Felony: 4 Years and/or $5,000
Count 6: Dead Bodies – Removing Without Medical Examiner PermissionMisdemeanor: 1 Year and/or $500

Thomas’ plea was accepted by the court based on findings in the autopsy report
and testimony from the preliminary examination. Shylae had suffered
from severe neglect which resulted in chronic malnutrition. Lorrie
Thomas is the sister of Shylae’s biological mother and Thomas adopted
Shylae as a toddler. Due to her mental and physical disabilities,
which included the need to be fed through an attached feeding tube,
Shylae was totally dependent upon the care of Thomas and other members
of the household.The police investigation began Tuesday, April 21, 2009 when they were
contacted by the Michigan Department of Human Services who had received
a report that same day of a missing child. When police responded to
the scene of the report, they discovered that Shylae Thomas was not
present and a story of her whereabouts was given by her adopted mother,
Lorrie Thomas.Eventually, later that evening, the police investigation led to the Stor & Lock
Storage Facility on N. Saginaw Rd. in Vienna Twp., north of Flint where
the police found the body of Shylae wrapped in a black garbage bag
which was stuffed into a plastic bin and kept inside a storage unit.
Mothballs were placed on top of the garbage bag in an apparent attempt
to mask the odors of the dead body.“Although
we cannot turn back the hands of time on this or any other crime, the
court system has allowed us the opportunity to see that justice was
served in this case through a plea to a homicide by the defendant,”
said Prosecutor Leyton.“There are certainly no winners in this situation. I am only gratified in
knowing that we, as a community, were able to give Shylae’s life the
respect it deserved in a court of law,” he said.“Shylae
had a real rough go in life given the tragic circumstances that led to
her mental and physical disabilities,” he said. “For her to suffer the
severe neglect she endured while alive and then to be stored away in a
plastic bin without any sense of human dignity is beyond
comprehension,” Prosecutor Leyton had previously commented.He had also noted that Lorrie Thomas’ actions following the death of Shylae were deplorable on many levels.“She hid the body in a storage unit and she continued to cash welfare checks
intended for the benefit of Shylae even though she had died,”
Prosecutor Leyton said.Prosecutor Leyton commended the work of his staff and members of the Flint City
Police and Genesee County Sheriff’s Department for their quick response
at the outset and their tireless and determined efforts from beginning
to end on this case.

FLINT, Mich. — A Flint woman
was sentenced to a minimum of 10 years in prison for the death of her
adopted quadriplegic daughter whose starved body was stashed in a
storage unit.

Lorrie Thomas appeared in Genesee County Circuit Court on Monday, a month
after pleading no contest to involuntary manslaughter. The body of
9-year-old Shylae Thomas was discovered in a storage unit last April.

In a tearful plea to the judge, Thomas denied killing Shylae and said, "I
am not a monster." She did not explain why the girl's health had
deteriorated.

A no-contest plea is not a guilty plea but is treated the same when determining a sentence.

Thomas was Shylae's aunt before she adopted the girl in 2003.