Main: Julie A. Miller (West Virginia Regional Jail Authority). Inset: Kyneddi Miller (WCHS).
A 51-year-old mother in West Virginia may spend the rest of her life behind bars for her role in starving and neglecting her 14-year-old daughter, who authorities said had been dead for days when they found her in an "emaciated" and "skeletal state" inside the family's home last year.
Julie Ann Miller appeared in Boone County Circuit Court on Friday, where she formally pleaded guilty to one count of death of a child by parent, guardian, or custodian in connection with the death of Kyneddi Miller, court records show.
Miller was initially arrested on April 18, 2024, on one count of murder by a parent for failure to provide necessities and one count of child neglect resulting in death. She initially pleaded not guilty to the charges and her trial was slated to begin on Dec. 2 before her defense attorney negotiated a deal with prosecutors.
Miller's mother, Donna Stone, and stepfather, Jerry Stone, were arrested in May 2024 and charged with the same crimes as Miller.
Following a court-ordered mental health evaluation, a judge in September ruled that Jerry Stone was incompetent to stand trial. Donna Stone is currently scheduled to be tried on the murder and neglect charges on Feb. 24, 2026.
Left to right: Jerry Stone and Donna Stone (West Virginia Regional Jail Authority).
As Law&Crime previously reported, deputies with the Boone County Sheriff's Office and emergency medical personnel on the morning of April 17, 2024, responded to a call about a juvenile female in cardiac arrest at a home located in the 400 block of Cameo Road in Morrisvale, West Virginia. The residence is about 30 miles southwest of Charleston and was shared by Kyneddi, her mother, and her grandparents.
Upon arriving at the address, first responders said they found the teen in a grisly state inside one of the bathrooms in the home, Charleston ABC and Fox affiliate WCHS reported, citing the criminal complaint.
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First responders found the victim lying motionless atop a foam pad on the floor. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
During an August 2024 court hearing, Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Holstein said the child had been in the same spot where she was found dead for four to five days, local CBS affiliate WOWK reported.
The sheriff's office reportedly said that the victim's "appearance was shocking with an obvious emaciated, skeletal state."
In an interview with police investigators, Donna Stone reportedly confirmed that Kyneddi had not been attending school for about four or five years. Authorities also highlighted that the grandmother told them she believed Kyneddi had only left the Cameo Road home and gone outside about two times in the last four years.
Investigators said Miller began homeschooling her daughter in February 2021, supposedly for medical reasons. An email obtained by WCHS reportedly showed that Miller told officials with the Boone County School District that, because they lived with Kyneddi's elderly grandparents, they were concerned about the child contracting COVID-19 and spreading it to Donna and Jerry Stone.
Donna Stone further told investigators that Kyneddi had some eating disorder, stating that the juvenile had not been capable of functioning on her own for several days before her death, West Virginia MetroNews reported. The grandmother also said she did not believe Kyneddi had seen a doctor in about four or five years.
Following the plea hearing, Holstein told the Charleston Gazette-Mail it was "satisfying" to have Miller acknowledge her guilt.
"[Miller] didn't challenge the important facts of the case that she knew that her child needed that kind of care and that she deliberately didn't get the care for her," he reportedly told the newspaper. "We'll see at the sentencing hearing what her attitude remains."
Miller is currently scheduled to appear in court again for her sentencing hearing on Feb. 25, 2026. She faces 15 years to life in prison and will be mandatorily placed on the Child Abuse and Neglect Registry.
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