GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A mother was charged with the death of her 5-year-old son, whose body was found in the storage area of her car, apparently months after his death.
Sagal Hussein, 25, faces nine charges, including chronic neglect of a child causing death, hiding the corpse of a child, and obstruction.An initial court appearance is planned for Thursday afternoon.
According to the 26-page criminal complaint, the investigation into 5-year-old Josias Marquez’s whereabouts began on Jan. 26 when a neighbor reported seeing Hussein’s other two children outside, unsupervised, at a Howard home.
Since then, authorities tried to get Hussein to tell them where her third child was. Hussein had claimed Marquez was with his father out of state, but officers were unable to confirm that.
Marquez had “substantial medical issues and utilizes a wheelchair for transportation and is dependent on others for feeding,” the complaint states. Hussein told police he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and epilepsy.
Police interviewed Hussein on Jan. 26, Jan. 28, March 25, March 27 and March 30. An obstruction count was filed for each incident. Child protective services also was working on finding Marquez.
Due to her inaccuracies and lack of cooperation, Hussein was arrested on March 30. A search warrant was issued for her residence and her vehicle.
On March 31, deputies say technicians at the State Crime Lab in Madison “found the decomposed remains of a child in a duffel bag which was located in the cargo area of Hussein’s vehicle,” the complaint states.
According to the autopsy, the boy was “was significantly undernourished, mummified (and) based on the decomposition of the decedent, the decedent had been deceased for months.”
“(Marquez’s) weight was only 20 pounds at the time of autopsy, which was substantially lower than indicated in previous medical records and indicated that the level of malnourishment observed was severe and would have created a significant risk of death,” it states.
The complaint offers details on missed medical appointments, immunizations not administered, and medications not taken.
