8-Year-Old Illinois Boy Allegedly Starved to Death by Parents Weighed Just 30 Lbs., Say Prosecutors

On March 29, 2022, Navin Jones was found unresponsive at his family’s Peoria, Ill., home and later pronounced dead at the hospital

During the second day of testimony at an Illinois father’s ongoing murder trial, a forensic pathologist said the defendant’s 8-year-old son weighed 30 lbs. at the time of his death, which prosecutors allege was due to his parents starving him.

Dr. Amanda Youmans, a forensic pathologist in Peoria, Ill., about 170 miles southwest of Chicago, testified on Tuesday that Navin Jones had lost nearly all of his fat stores and his organs were smaller than normal when she performed his autopsy in 2022, WCBU and WMBD-TV reported from the courtroom.

Brandon Walker, 41, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the death of his son, Navin, the reports say. On March 29, 2022, Navin was found unresponsive at his family’s Peoria, Ill., home and later pronounced dead at the hospital, according to a press release from the Peoria Police Department.

Youmans testified that the boy died of chronic malnutrition and physical abuse. The pathologist added that she observed bruises on his body in various stages of healing and said due to muscle atrophy, his mobility would’ve been limited at the time of death, the outlets report.

Navin’s mother, Stephanie Jones, 37, pleaded guilty last week to one count of first-degree murder as part of a plea deal, WPBG reported, citing Peoria County court records. Her sentencing is set for February 2024.

The parents have been accused by prosecutors of starving their son to death and ultimately causing his death. Evidence presented during Walker’s trial included alleged text messages between Walker and Jones that appeared to show the two expressing anger towards Navin when he would eat food from the trash or urinate on the wall, WMBD-TV reports.

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Jurors also heard testimony from Navin’s grandmother, Laura Walker, who shared that while she had legal custody of Navin and his brother, she would often let the boys visit their parents, Walker and Jones, according to WMBD-TV. But after one visit in 2021, the parents allegedly refused to give the boys back to her, Laura Walker testified.

Despite filing a report with the Department of Children and Family Services, Laura claimed the boys were never returned to her, WMBD-TV reports.

Walker’s defense attorneys have said the boy’s mother is to blame for Navin’s death, according to WMBD-TV.

If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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