**Warning: This story contains details some people may find deeply upsetting**Further details have emerged surrounding the death of a 12-year-old girl who suffered from a head lice infestation so severe it triggered a cardiac arrest.

Per The New York Times, Kaitlyn Yozviak, 12, died at her family home in rural Georgia on August 26 last year.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Special Agent Ryan Hilton testified back in September that medical records determined that Kaitlyn died from cardiac arrest with a secondary cause being severe anemia.

Brent Cochran - the senior assistant district attorney for the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit, which covers Kaitlyn's hometown of Ivey - said that her death was the result of repeated lice bites that lowered her blood iron levels.

More on this heartbreaking story below:

Mr. Cochran added that the lice had been a "problem for three years on an on-again, off-again basis". The Times states that "the unusual conclusion that lice could have killed a child raised doubts among some doctors and scientists", but that the GBI has testified that the infestation was enough to kill her. Speaking to 13WMAZ, Dr Nancy Hinkle said that "severe anemia produced from severe louse infestations is not unheard of - this does happen - and typically it is in young children or in the elderly."

Meanwhile, other experts are skeptical over Kaitlyn's death being the result of head lice, with Dr Alejandra Perotti stating: "That lice would kill you is an exaggeration."

Perotti adds: "A severe louse infestation on a person who died typically coincides with serious neglect and as a consequence of this neglect, a general deteriorating health condition."

Prosecutors are still waiting on autopsy results and medical results.

Credit: Wilkinson County Sheriffs OfficeKaitlyn's parents, Mary Katherine "Katie" Horton and John Joseph Joey Yozviak, were both arrested and charged with child cruelty and second-degree murder (as a result of negligence).

Per The Sun, this week they were both granted $100,000 bail, but both remain in jail.

Kaitlyn found with no bruises on her body and was not malnourished, but the court heard how the child had not bathed for a week before her death and was forced to live in a "very unclean" home.

Kaitlyn's teachers speak out about the "sweet girl":

Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFSC) documents show that Kaitlyn's two brothers were later removed from the family home as a result of the unsanitary conditions, The Sun reports. The heartbreaking case has highlighted fears about how the ongoing pandemic is leading to neglected children being cut off from individuals who would otherwise be able to report cases. Tom Rawlings, the director of the State Division of Family and Children Services, revealed that the number of calls about possible abuse cases has dropped by 50% since schools shut down in March. Per The Times, Rawlings said: "One of the biggest fears that I and other child welfare folks around the country have is this kind of case." Horton's lawyer declined to comment back in September, but Yozviak's lawyer, Keri Foster Thompson, said the father was innocent and "devastated and heartbroken". "The evidence will ultimately show that Mr. Yozviak was a loving and devoted father," she added.

A mother has issued a warning to all parents showing just how out of control a headlice infestation can become after just a few weeks if left untreated.

Taking to TikTok after making the alarming discovery, the mom, called Sherrii, shared a video of her a little girl's hair and admitted that it was "overrun".

Posting under the username NitPickerPerth, Sherrii shared the video to show other parents what happens when they don't regularly check their children's hair for lice - having regularly helped other parents with lice outbreaks.

Watch the stomach-churning video below: 

She wrote over the video: "What happens when you refuse to sit so someone can nit comb?! You get overrun in just a few weeks.

"This infestation is no more than eight weeks old. Just look at how many different sizes there are."

Needless to say, the video did not go unnoticed on the social media website, and at the time of writing, it has been viewed over five million times by horrified TikTok users.

One horrified TikToker wrote: "At this point, I would just throw the whole child away."

Credit: TikTok / Lauren

Reacting to the size of the lice, a second user added: "them lobsters right there."

Credit: TikTok / Patrick Hughes

A third wrote: "My hair is all of a sudden really itchy."

Credit: TikTok / Sara Katlynn

Sherri subsequently posted a follow-up video, and even it was stomach-churning, showing just how many lice can be missed even with treatment.

Watch what was left a week later below: 

She captioned the video: "Her 1 week follow up the last of the dead eggs and lice that were missed."

Reacting to the video, one TikTok user wrote: "Used to get it all the time as a kid till we started using teatree oil in our shampoo and conditions works wonders [sic]."

Credit: TikTok / Hannah Ballard

Another questioned if Sherrii ever got head lice herself, and she said that she did, but she combs her hair daily to prevent it from happening.

Credit: TikTok / h0oneyb0onza

A third wrote: "you're so amazing doing this for people."

Credit: TikTok / sophia

So, in a nutshell, if you have children who are refusing to let you check their hair for lice, you might want to show them these videos...

A grieving mother in Chesapeake, Virginia has filed a $5 million lawsuit against a local funeral home, alleging horrific conditions during the service for her late son, 24-year-old Torreon Williams, who died in a car accident in May 2022.Credit: Getty Images. According to the lawsuit obtained by NBC affiliate WAVY, Torreon’s family gathered at Snellings Funeral Home on May 9, just one week after his passing, for a scheduled viewing and service after paying a $3,000 down payment. But what they encountered that day left them in shock.“As mourners approached the body of Torreon Williams, these people noticed that Torreon Williams' body, particularly his face, nose and mouth, were covered with and consumed by clumps of maggots,” the lawsuit states.Tabitha Worrell, Torreon’s mother and the plaintiff in the case, was surrounded by family and friends when the horrifying discovery was made.“They provided this family with a grotesque freak show,” the family’s attorney, Kevin Sharp, said, per Law & Crime News. “Maggots pouring out of this young man’s nose. Maggots in his mouth, and on his face.”“I just remember my sister screaming,” recalled Tabitha’s sister, Tiffany Barnhart.According to the family, the response from the funeral home staff only added to their distress. One staff member allegedly attempted to calm Tabitha by placing a hand on her and saying: “Don’t you make a scene.” Another employee reportedly explained: “The flies got to him,” per the Daily Mail.“She was mortified by the way they reacted,” Tiffany said. “They almost seemed to say, ‘You don’t overreact here.’ You’re the one to blame, not what they had done to her son.”The lawsuit claims the maggots had been on Torreon’s body for an extended period and were “purposely ignored” by funeral home staff. It further alleges the insects had “burrowed into holes in his cheek and mouth that had not existed previously.”The family believes Snellings Funeral Home failed to “adequately prepare, preserve and inspect” Torreon’s body before the viewing. The suit also contends the funeral home did not store his remains in a sealed, refrigerated environment, exposing him to contamination.When asked how this could have occurred, attorney Sharp offered a theory. “How this happened,” he said: “They received his body, and they did not properly clean and disinfect his body, and then he went through the embalming process. That was improper.”In response to the allegations, Casey Jones, CEO of Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home, Inc./Snellings Funeral Home, Inc., issued a brief statement (via Metro): “The unexpected passing of Torreon Williams is tragic, and we extend our sincere condolences to his family. However, because the events following his death are the subject of ongoing litigation, we do not believe it is appropriate to comment publicly at this time.”The lawsuit further asserts that the trauma from the incident has left Tabitha deeply scarred. She now suffers from “nightmares, trauma, sleeplessness, flashback, anxiety, depression, nausea, humiliation, embarrassment, grief and horror that is significant and permanently affects all of her activities.”Tabitha is seeking $5 million in damages, along with reimbursement of legal costs, fees, and any additional relief deemed appropriate, per The Nightly. The complaint also states she continues to incur expenses related to ongoing “psychological treatment and care.”The case is scheduled to be heard in Chesapeake Circuit Court’s civil division on July 28 at 8:45AM, with a three-day jury trial anticipated.Featured image credit: Getty Images.

A two-year-old starved to death after the toddler's father suddenly died at their home in Geneva, New York.

According to a press release by Ontario County Sheriff's Office, the bodies of 59-year-old David Conde Sr. and his son were discovered in their Hamilton street apartment back in February.

At the time, officials reported that they could not determine a cause of death due to the fact that neither of them had any obvious injuries or trauma that could have been a point of investigation. However, nine months later, their cause of death has been revealed.

As per NBC News, the father died naturally from "cardiovascular disease," while the little toddler died from starvation, with his death being ruled as "accidental" by the sheriff’s department.

Investigators also added that there were no signs of forced entry or foul play in the apartment.

"It is believed that Mr. Conde passed away first, and the child was not able to obtain any nourishment after his father passed," the statement concluded.

The Democrat & Chronicle reported that the door was still locked when authorities turned up at David Conde Sr.'s apartment after someone requested a welfare check on the pair. Deputies were forced to break into the home after there was no response from anyone inside.

According to Ontario County Sheriff department officer, David Cirencione, the apartment was in a clean condition with plenty of food and necessities for the child when it was found. After spending some time looking around, the authorities stumbled across Conde Sr. and his son in the bedroom, both of whom were pronounced dead at the scene.

"There were no signs of a struggle in the residence," Cirencione said. "We do not have any reason to believe anybody else was in the apartment when these two passed away."

Initially investigators did not know what caused the deaths of either victim, but the department did say that they would "do everything [they] can to get answers for the family so they can get closure."

After toxicology report results were confirmed nine months later, it was finally established that David Conde Sr. died due to a heart-related disease while his two-year-old son had unfortunately starved to death.

When the investigation was officially closed earlier this week, memorials for both victims were held. Conde Jr.'s obituary describes him as "a beautiful baby boy with curly locks, that had a determined smile and sweet disposition."

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this extremely difficult time.

Featured Image Credit: Frank Nowikowski / Alamy

A mom has been sentenced after her toddler tragically died when she left her home alone for 10 days.

Last June, Kristel Candelario left her 16-month-old daughter Jailyn unattended while she jetted off to Detroit and Puerto Rico for a vacation, as reported by PEOPLE.

When the 32-year-old returned to the Cleveland home, she found her little one unresponsive and called the cops, who later declared the toddler dead at the scene.

According to the Cuyahoga County prosecutor’s office press release, Jailyn was discovered "in a Pack-N-Play pen on a liner soiled with urine and feces with soiled blankets".

Candelario has been sentenced for aggravated murder. Credit: Twenty47studio / Getty

An autopsy by Dr. Elizabeth Mooney, the deputy Cuyahoga County medical examiner, revealed that the toddler died of starvation and severe dehydration from pediatric neglect.

The 16-month-old was also emaciated and weighed "13 pounds, 7 pounds less than in her last doctor's visit less than two months before," per NBC News.

On Monday (March 18), Candelario received a life sentence with no chance of parole. This comes months after she pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and child endangerment as part of a plea deal with Cuyahoga County prosecutors, who dismissed two murder counts and a felonious assault charge.

County Common Pleas Court Judge Brendan Sheehan told Candelario that she committed "the ultimate betrayal" at her sentencing, as cited by ABC News. "Just as you didn’t let Jailyn out of her confinement, so too you should spend the rest of your life in a cell without freedom," he said. "The only difference will be, the prison will at least feed you and give you liquid that you denied her."

When given a chance to speak, the mom - who according to the outlet struggles with depression and other mental health issues, said in response: "There’s so much pain that I have in regards to the loss of my baby, Jailyn.

"I’m extremely hurt about everything that happened. I am not trying to justify my actions, but nobody knew how much I was suffering and what I was going through... God and my daughter have forgiven me," she added.

During the mom's tropical vacation, she took to Facebook to share a chilling picture of herself smiling on a sandy Puerto Rican beach, with the caption: "The time that is enjoyed is the true time lived."

Cuyahoga County prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley spoke about Candelario's "selfishness" at the sentencing, stating: "Today, we remember Jailyn - a beautiful baby girl who was taken from this world due to her mother’s unimaginable selfishness. The thought of going on vacation for 10 days and leaving your child to starve to death in her Pack-N-Play is a new low in parental care."

Judge Sheehan also noted that authorities and the medical professionals called it one of the most horrible cases they’d ever seen. "It stunned people across this world, because it defies one of the basic human responsibilities," he said, describing it as "the ultimate act of betrayal".

Featured image credit: Johannes Kroemer / Getty