Couple and Son Allowed Daughter with Disabilities to Wither Away and Die in Home that Had 40 Animals Inside

Content warning: The following article contains disturbing details.

The parents and brother of a South Carolina teen girl with disabilities who died from neglect were sentenced to lengthy prison terms after being convicted of murder.

Heather Baynard, 14, died at a hospital in Spartanburg, S.C., in April 2022 after she was found unresponsive, according to reports from WSPA, WYFF and Fox Carolina.

Authorities subsequently searched her family’s home and found both urine and feces, the outlets reported, citing authorities.

WSPA reported that a search of the home found that there were 40 animals living inside, which contributed to the poor conditions.

Both WSPA and WYFF reported, citing authorities, that the urine and feces caused Heather's skin to break down, while a witness at the hospital said the girl's legs looked like raw meat.

“In the home, the dogs contributed to the deplorable conditions,” Cherokee County Sheriff Steve Mueller said, according to WSPA. “A lot of feces in the home, both from the cats and the dogs; urine, which created a huge ammonia-type smell.”

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Fox Carolina reported that coroner Dennis Fowler called it the “absolute worst case of child neglect” he’d ever seen.

Heather’s parents, David and Bobbi Jo Baynard, were convicted of murder, felony child abuse and unlawful neglect of a child and sentenced to life in prison on the murder charge and a subsequent 30 years for the other two counts, the outlets report.

Edward Baynard, 21, Heather’s brother, was sentenced to 30 years in prison after being found guilty of murder.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.