Barrington parents get 5 years for starvation death of infant daughter

The parents of a 7-month-old girl who died last year after starving to death in northwest suburban Barrington have each been sentenced to five years in prison.

Markisha Jones, 19; and Gene Edwards, 22, each pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment in connection with the death of their daughter, Mya G. Edwards, according to Cook County court records.

Mya was found dead on Jan. 8, 2014, in the 100 block of South Hager Avenue in Barrington. An autopsy was initially inconclusive, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said at the time.

Barrington police later said Mya’s death was a homicide due to malnutrition from starvation.

In March 2014, state child welfare officials said an investigation determined Mya’s parents neglected the infant and her twin sister, who was placed into foster care.

Cook County Judge Bridge Jane Hughes sentenced both Jones and Edwards to five years in prison. They will each receive credit for 556 days served in the Cook County Jail.