Richmond 2-year-old was severely underweight when he died

A 2-year-old Richmond boy whose mother is charged in his death weighed 14 pounds when he died, far less than typical for a child his age, according to the prosecution.

A Richmond Circuit Court judge yesterday set bond at $40,000 for the mother, Ashley C. Williams, who was indicted Monday on charges of child neglect and felony murder in the death of D'Sean Williams.

Williams, 24, was smiling and waving to supporters as she was led before Judge Clarence N. Jenkins Jr., who in addition to setting bond also scheduled her for a two-day trial starting Nov. 18.

After the brief hearing, Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Mary E. Langer said authorities discovered that D'Sean weighed 14 pounds when they responded to a call for a medical emergency May 30 at a house in the 1900 block of Newman Road in the Fulton neighborhood.

The boy was unresponsive, and attempts to revive him failed.

Statistics compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics indicate that 25-month-old boys typically weigh 23.75 to 34 pounds.

Langer said D'Sean, who lived at the Newman Road house with his mother, was malnourished.

"We are unaware of any medical explanation" for his low weight or his death, Langer said.

Defense attorney Pauline Ewald said D'Sean had been living with one of Williams' relatives from the time he was born until late last year or early this year, when he moved in with his mother and her three other children.

Ewald said D'Sean had a condition called "failure to thrive" and had been underweight since he was about 9 months old.

Failure to thrive, a condition in which a child does not grow properly or gain enough weight, can be caused by medical conditions such as congestive heart failure or a metabolic problem, said Dr. Colleen Kraft, a past president of the Virginia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Many such cases result from insufficient nutrition or a lack of emotional or intellectual stimulation, according to Kraft.

Earlier this year, a doctor instructed Williams to bolster D'Sean's diet, including by feeding him butter and putting chocolate syrup in his milk, Ewald said.

Ewald said Williams' other children are fine and noted that the state medical examiner's office has not yet released a cause of death.

"We feel at this point that this is a medical mystery," Ewald said, "and we're waiting for a medical explanation."

Williams, charged with felony murder and child neglect, faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted.

Contact Reed Williams at (804) 649-6332 or .

Contact Joe Macenka at (804) 649-6804 or .