Woman Accused Of Neglect In Daughter's Death Released From Jail

A Camden woman accused of ignoring her 4-year-old daughter’s injuries before she died has been released from jail. Lucy Gunter, 20, is charged with one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child in the death of her daughter.

A judge released Gunter during a pretrial detention hearing Friday morning, the Courier Post reports. However, the release could be rescinded if a homicide charge is brought against Gunter, something Assistant Prosecutor Christine Shah said was “definitely a possibility.”

"That decision has not yet been made at this time," Shah told the newspaper. She also said she believes the other two children in the home, who are 1 and 2 respectively, are no longer there.

No one has been charged with the child’s death. As of Friday morning, Gunter was the only one who had been arrested and charged in connection with the girl’s death, despite her story that the man who watched her children while she was at work beat the girl.

Gunter claims Najugan Ross was watching the kids while she was at work. Ross is the father of Gunter’s oldest daughter. He told her he hit the child because she wouldn’t eat, which resulted in a deep cut on her face and a missing tooth, according to a probable cause statement. Ross has not been arrested or charged, but the investigation is ongoing.

Gunter was arrested after investigators learned she didn’t immediately seek medical attention for her daughter. In fact, she allowed the girl’s condition to deteriorate from July 15-18, to the point where the child didn’t eat and spent most of her time sleeping. Gunter only called 911 after she found the girl unresponsive in her room Tuesday morning, according to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office.

After she finally called 911, the child was taken by ambulance to Cooper University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at about 8:58 a.m.

During a candlelight vigil on Wednesday night, family members described Gunter as a troubled domestic abuse victim who never sought help for herself, according to the Courier Post. Gunter's mother said she hoped her daughter would be sent to a psychiatric facility, and that Ross "needs mental help, too."

Image via Shutterstock