1-year-old kept on 250 calories per day from food pouches until she starved to death, cops say

Inset: Sausha Mia Myers (St. Louis City Justice Center). Background: Apartment building on the 4300 block of St. Ferdinand Avenue in St. Louis, Mo. (Google Maps).

A 1-year-old Missouri girl died from apparent starvation after her mother allegedly kept her on a diet that consisted of yogurt, vegetable pouches and fruit pouches that amounted to just 250 calories per day.

Sausha Mia Myers, 29, is charged with two counts of child abuse and neglect with serious physical injury. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit, cops responded Sunday to an apartment building on the 4300 block of St. Ferdinand Avenue in St. Louis for a "call for help." Myers told dispatchers her 1-year-old daughter was "nonresponsive and breathing slowly."

Officers rushed to the scene and found the girl lying unresponsive on the living room floor with no pulse or any signs of life. There was also a 3-year-old inside the home.

"Both children appeared severely malnourished and emaciated," cops wrote.

Paramedics took both kids to the hospital. Doctors pronounced the 1-year-old dead. She weighed just 10 pounds: The average weight for a girl her age is 24 pounds, officers noted.

The second victim weighed 17 pounds, roughly 13 pounds below an average healthy weight for a 3-year-old. Cops said the girl had lanugo, a soft, fine hair that covers the fetus in a uterus that usually falls off after birth but can develop when a body does not have enough fat to retain heat. The girl also had scars on her chest and stomach and is nonverbal. She was admitted to the hospital, where she is continuing to receive treatment.

After being advised of her Miranda rights, Myers told investigators during an interview that neither child had seen a doctor in a year. She said the older girl previously had been under the care of a doctor in Texas for low weight. Myers said the doctor advised her about proper nutrition. Neither child suffered any medical conditions that would prevent them from gaining proper weight, cops said.

Per the affidavit, Myers was feeding the deceased girl a diet that consisted of yogurt, vegetable pouches and fruit pouches. Added up, the girl was receiving just 250 calories per day.

Myers also said her daughter's condition worsened over the last two weeks, but she allegedly never sought medical care. Police also noted the girl had bedsores on her head and back.

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"The defendant failed to provide adequate nutrition for either child that was reasonable and necessary to maintain their physical health," investigators concluded.

An autopsy will determine a cause of death, and Myers could face additional charges.

Cops arrested Myers and took her to the St. Louis City Justice Center, where she is being held without bond. Her next court date has yet to be scheduled.