Salem mother sentenced to life in prison for death of child

by: Bil Tatum

SALEM, Mo. – A Salem woman has been sentenced to life in prison for child abuse leading to the death of her 10-year-old daughter.

Officials said 10-year-old Josie Abney was malnourished and weighed less than 35 pounds after she collapsed and died in 2020.

Susan Abney was sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison by Dent County Circuit Judge Michael Randazzo.

A probable cause statement in the case against Abney and her husband Randall Abney said their daughter appeared like a Holocaust victim.

The child had bruising on various areas of her body and doctors told investigators she was so dehydrated that he could not draw blood.

The girl died at Salem Memorial District Hospital about 90 minutes after deputies responding to a 911 call found the child unresponsive at the family’s home on County Road 4255 near Salem.

Charges against the couple were elevated to second-degree murder after the child’s death, but court documents indicate prosecutors did not pursue that charge against Susan Abney. She pleaded guilty to the abuse or neglect charge in February.

Randall Abney was found guilty of second-degree murder and child abuse/neglect leading to death and is to be sentenced on Nov. 18.