DANIELLE LUNSFORD - 8 yo - Milton (Mid-state at VA border) NC

Officials have charged two Caswell County parents with intentional child abuse after an 8-year-old girl was found severely malnourished.

Willie and Dominique Lunsford, both of Milton, N.C., had their first court appearance Thursday on charges that they caused their daughter, Danielle, to be "grossly underweight." The two were in jail for about a month, but are now out on bond, officials said.

Caswell County district attorney Jim Long said Danielle was first transported to a hospital in Danville, Va. on Oct. 2, but was later taken to a hospital in Chapel Hill. Willie Lunsford told FOX8 Danielle is brain dead and is still in Chapel Hill.

Arrest warrants said for a full year the couple starved Danielle and failed to get her medical attention. The warrants also allege the abuse went on for a full year. Danielle was 60 pounds toward the beginning of the year, but her parents said in six months she dropped down to 35 pounds.

The parents said Danielle stopped eating because she was depressed, and they tried to get her to eat.

"They tried to say that we withheld the food and didn't try to feed her, and that made her heart stop. It didn't happen like that," Willie Lunford said.

The couple has three other children; a 15-year-old girl, an 11-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy that are at normal weight. Child Protective Services has had them placed in foster care for the past month, officials said. The other three children are staying with their mother's sister.

The parents showed FOX8 a photo of Danielle when she was 5. They said that was the most recent photo they had of her, because the other children took most of the family photos with them.

"I got rights as a father to talk to my young-uns. I know they think we don't care, but they can't do that," Willie Lunford said.

Caswell County Sheriff Michael Welch said his office is working with child protective services, and the investigation is ongoing.

The couple's next court appearance was Jan. 6.

An 8-year-old Milton girl is brain-dead and on life support at UNC Hospital and her parents are out on bond after she was taken to a Danville, Va. hospital Oct. 2 and found to be severely malnourished.

Authorities at the Danville hospital alerted the Caswell County Sheriff's Office of a case of apparent child abuse because the child was grossly underweight. Sheriff Michael Welch said his office is investigating jointly with the Caswell County Department of Social Services, and would not comment because the case is ongoing.

The girl's parents, Willie, 44, and Dominique, 36, Lunsford were arrested Oct. 4 on charges of felony child abuse.

The Lunsfords, of 131 East St., Milton, made their first court appearance Thursday, and are each out on a $9,000 secured bond on charges of intentional child abuse with serious bodily injury. District Attorney Jim Long said the ultimate issue for a jury to decide will be whether the acts were intentional starvation or negligence. If Danielle dies, Long said the charges could be increased to first degree murder if medical evidence shows the injuries to be intentional, or manslaughter if they are found to be due to neglect.

According to warrants, for more than a year, since September 2009, the Lunsfords starved Danielle and failed to seek medical treatment resulting in cardiac arrest and brain damage.

The couple's three other children, a 15-year-old girl, an 11-year-old girl, and a 10-year-old boy, are in protective custody and the parents are not allowed contact with any of the children until approved by a mental health provider.

Calls to the Lunsfords and their next of kin listed on arrest reports, and to the DSS were not returned.

However, the Lunsfords interviewed on camera with WGHP-Fox 8, saying Danielle had become depressed and refused to eat because she didn't like some of the things her 15-year-old sister had to do, and she didn't want to grow up.

Dominique said Danielle was 60 pounds at the beginning of this year, but over the course of about six months, she had lost down to 35 pounds. "They tried to say that we withheld the food and didn't try to feed her, and that made her heart stop. It didn't happen like that," Willie Lunsford told Fox 8.

The couple showed FOX8 a photo of Danielle when she was 5, saying it was the most recent they had because the other children had taken all of the family photos with them. The couple also told Fox 8 they want their other children back.

"I got rights as a father to talk to my young-uns. I know they think we don't care, but they can't do that," Willie Lunsford said.

Willie and Dominique Lunsford are next scheduled to appear in court Jan. 6.