Youth Services detectives late Monday night charged Jerald Hicks with criminal homicide and aggravated child neglect in the starvation death of his 17-month-old son.
Hicks, 24, of 1601 Herman Street, is being held without bond pending a hearing.
Hicks brought his son, Jerald Hicks, Jr., to the emergency room of Centennial Medical Center at 7:30 p.m. last Thursday. He was dead on arrival with a body temperature so low that it could not be registered. The child weighed only ten pounds and appeared to be extremely malnourished. An autopsy determined that Jerald, Jr. died of starvation and hypothermia.
Hicks’ 31-month-old daughter was also brought to Centennial Medical Center at the same time as Jerald, Jr. She was taken to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital to be evaluated and was diagnosed as suffering from severe malnutrition. She was released Monday and is in the custody of the Department of Children’s Services.
During the course of the investigation, detectives learned that electricity in the Hicks apartment was turned off earlier this month and that there was no heat. Jerald Hicks is unemployed and was the person responsible for caring for his children. The mother did not live with Hicks, but did see the children on January 17th.
Hicks acknowledged in an interview with Detective Sarah Bruner that he did not feed the children for a period of days, despite having food stamps with which he could have purchased food.
The investigation in this case is open and active. Additional arrests and charges are anticipated.
Jerald Hicks
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