Background: Integris Baptist Regional Health Center in Miami, Okla., where Charles Ash died in September 2024 (Google Maps). Insets (left to right): Daniel Ash and Amber Murphy (Quapaw Marshal's Service).
The parents of an Oklahoma boy who died of starvation have pleaded guilty to their son's murder.
Daniel Ash, 33, and Amber Murphy, 32, entered guilty pleas to one count each of second-degree murder in federal court in connection with the death of their 2-year-old son, Charles Wayne Ash. Ash and Murphy, who is a member of the Quapaw Nation, were charged after bringing Charles to Integris Baptist Regional Health Center in Miami, Oklahoma, where he was pronounced dead on Sept. 11, 2024.
According to an autopsy report obtained by local NBC affiliate KSN, Charles weighed just 17 pounds when he died of starvation.
Ash and Murphy were indicted in federal court in March 2025 in connection with Charles' death and alleged neglect toward their other four children. Ash was also charged with engaging in a sexual act with a minor child under 12 years old, a charge that was dismissed as part of his plea deal. Ash's plea took place on May 7, and Murphy's took place on May 8.
According to the autopsy report, Charles had never been taken to a doctor after he was born in July 2022. When Ash and Murphy brought him to the emergency room on the day he died, they said he was "not feeling well and having difficulty breathing." Doctors said the boy was "unresponsive" when he arrived and was observed to be in "decorticate posturing," a reflex position that indicates brain damage.
In addition to showing signs of neglect, such as dirty fingernails and toenails, the boy had "severe muscle wasting" and hardly any body fat. The medical examiner noted that the boy was dehydrated and anemic with low blood sugar levels. Charles' brain also weighed less than that expected of a toddler his age.
Sentencing dates have not been set for either Ash or Murphy.