A 39-year-old Michigan woman, Jessica Marie Burke, could potentially face a life sentence due to her alleged role in the death of her 4-year-old son, Noah Burke. Authorities have reported that the child was severely undernourished, weighing only 10 pounds at the time of his death last year.
Burke was taken into custody last week and is currently facing a single count of first-degree child abuse related to her son’s death, as per court documents. In Michigan, a conviction for first-degree child abuse can lead to a life sentence.
The incident came to light when the Bay City Police Department responded to a distress call from Burke’s home on McKinley Avenue around 4:10 a.m. on October 18, 2024. Burke reportedly informed the 911 operator that she had found her son unresponsive and not breathing upon waking up. Despite the arrival of emergency medical personnel, the child was declared dead later that day.
An autopsy reportedly determined that Noah’s death was a homicide, with the cause of death being “severe extreme calorie malnutrition and complications thereof leading to extreme emaciation and failure to thrive.”
The criminal complaint, as per WJRT, a Flint Michigan ABC affiliate, alleges that Burke knowingly or intentionally caused serious physical harm to Noah through starvation and malnourishment, leading to his death. Bay County Prosecutor Michael P. Kanuszewski stated that Noah, who had special needs, weighed only about a quarter of what a healthy child his age should weigh.
Court documents revealed that Noah was born with Esophageal Dysphasia, a severe swallowing disorder that left him unable to suck, root gag, or move his mouth. Kanuszewski acknowledged the challenges Burke faced in caring for her son but emphasized the tragedy of the situation, stating, “No one wins in a case like this, regardless of the outcome.”
Burke appeared in court for her arraignment last week, where a judge set a $250,000 cash-surety bond. She is scheduled to appear in court again on May 29.