Mia A. Morrow, a 35-year-old woman from Michigan, was given a sentence of 25 to 50 years in a state penitentiary by Judge Charles LaSata of Berrien County on Monday. This was due to her pleading guilty in August to one count of second-degree murder in connection to her 8-year-old son, Jaxson Morrow’s death. Her husband, Brian R. Morrow, was also arrested in June 2022 and charged with various charges including first-degree murder.
Before handing down the sentence, Judge LaSata heavily reprimanded Mia Morrow for not taking any action as her son, who had autism, faded away. “He looked to you to protect him. I don’t understand this. He weighed 31 pounds at autopsy, and was 8 years old,” LaSata said.
When police arrived at the Morrow’s home on May 3, 2022, Jaxson Morrow was lying dead on the living room couch and he was severely emaciated, weighing just over 30 pounds. An autopsy determined that Jaxson’s death was a homicide caused by neglect.
Morrow told police that she had noticed her son was having breathing problems prior to his death and admitted that she and her husband probably should have taken him to the emergency room the day before. However, they chose not to call authorities or tell anyone else about his death and it was the boy’s grandmother who called 911 when she arrived at the house and discovered the child dead on the living room couch.
It was also discovered that Child Protective Services (CPS) had previously investigated the couple on multiple occasions over their treatment of their son. They had pulled him out of the LOGAN Autism Learning Center because they said they were “sick of them calling CPS” to report them for mistreating their child. Brian Morrow’s daughter, whose name and age were not disclosed, told police that the couple would often lock the autistic 8-year-old boy in his bedroom and he was “so skinny you could put your finger around his arms.”
Brian Morrow pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and will be sentenced next month.