4-year-old weighing 15 pounds found dead in New York

Brooklyn - Police are investigating after a four-year-old girl died in a Brooklyn apartment. The girl weighed 15 pounds and had marks around her ankles.

The New York Times reported that detectives found marks on Marchella Pierce’s ankles that appeared to be consistent with twine found tied to the foot railing of a bed in her mother’s bedroom. The child was found lying face up and unconscious on her mother’s bed and was pronounced dead at the scene. Marchella’s mother told detectives that she found her daughter unresponsive and with cold hands. She said she tried to revive her and then called 911 about 45 minutes later. The girl’s five-year-old and nine-month-old brothers were at the apartment and appeared to be healthy. Marchella was born prematurely and had health problems, including undersized lungs and a tube in her trachea. Police said they did not know whether her weight was so low because of the health problems of because of malnourishment. A law enforcement official said the family had a history with Children’s Services. According to The New York Times, the police found a small bed that had four strips of twine tied to the foot railing, two at the top and two at the bottom; as well as marks on the girl’s ankles. Police were unable to say whether there were marks on her wrists.