Two brothers, two sisters charged in death of 7-year-old girl
By Josh Wallace
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MIDWEST CITY, Oklahoma (KOCO) — A man and his brother and a woman and her sister, arrested in the death of a 7-year-old Midwest City girl that was extremely malnourished, have all been charged with second-degree murder, according to court records.
Anthony Yonko, David Yonko, Lisa Mitchell and Tiffany Mitchell all face second-degree murder charges in connection with the Aug. 2 death of the girl, according to Oklahoma County court records.
Just before 1:10 p.m. on Aug. 2, an officer with the Midwest City Police Department was called to a local hospital after staff had notified the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner that the child had died.
Speaking with a doctor at the hospital, the officer was told the girl was pronounced dead at 12:20 p.m. and displayed signs of rigor mortis and had possible internal and external injuries. The officer said the girl was “extremely malnourished” and weighed only 25 pounds and was only 37-inches tall, according to an affidavit.
Growth charts developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show a normal height for a 6-year-old girl to be between 42 and 49 inches and a normal weight to be between 36 to 60 pounds. The average height for an 8-year-old girl would be between 47 and 54 inches and an average weight of 44 to 80 pounds.
The father, Anthony Yonko, told officers a number of stories about the child and the circumstances that led to her being taken to the hospital. He claimed he woke that morning and was alerted by Lisa Mitchell, the girl’s mother, that the child was not moving, was sick and needed to be taken to the hospital, according to the affidavit.
After being arrested, Anthony Yonko told police that the girl weighed 50 pounds four or five days ago and was “completely healthy.” The officer stated Anthony Yonko could not give an explanation why she weighed 25 pounds and was very unhealthy at the hospital, according to the affidavit.
Anthony Yonko told investigators that it was his brother, David Yonko, who had been staying at the apartment, that took them to the hospital that morning, according to the affidavit.
David Yonko told an officer that his brother was “freaking out” that morning and stating that the girl needed to go to the hospital. David Yonko said he saw Lisa Mitchell carrying the girl to the van and that she had been wrapped in a blanket. David Yonko told officers he did not see if the girl was still alive or not when she was wrapped in the blanket, according to the affidavit.
David Yonko said he dropped off his brother, Lisa Mitchell and the girl at the emergency area of the hospital and drove away “because he was afraid and needed to get to work,” according to the affidavit.
Oklahoma County Court records show Anthony Yonko, Lisa Mitchell and Tiffany Mitchell have had their bond set at $5 million, while David Yonko’s bond was set at $1 million.
Anthony Yonko and Lisa Mitchell entered pleas of not guilty. Their next scheduled court date is on Oct. 2, court records show.
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