Mother And Grandmother Arrested And Charged With Murder After 9-Y-O Dies From Lice Infection

June 12, 2022

A mother of a 9-year-old girl and the child’s grandmother were both initially charged with child abuse following the little girl’s death from lice infestation, but now investigators have enough evidence to decide that the charges should change to murder.

After the 9-year-old died in the gated community, Lakeside Casitas Apartments in Arizona, the police were alerted. Upon arrival, they saw that “a large amount of bugs began to cover her face”, which they realized were lice as the girl’s hair was filled with “an enormous amount” of them.

According to the court reports from the initial child abuse charges, which were handed down in late March, the child’s mother, Sandra Kraykovich, made a report that she had Anemia, vomiting, fever, headaches and problems with balancing herself.

Investigators also found messages on Sandra Kraykovich’s phone that confirms she knew of the little girl’s severe illness, along with messages from Sandra’s boyfriend and the child’s grandmother, Elizabeth Kraykovich, stating the girl needed treatment.

In one of the messages from Elizabeth Kraykovich when she was babysitting Sandra’s children, she threatens to call 911 for the little girl and adds, “can’t go to the ER with her hair but that’s left to me because your not home.”

After being questioned by the police, Sandra confesses that if she had acted quickly and brought the child to get medical attention she probably would still be alive, but admitted she didn’t get the medical help she needed because of the lice infestation. She confessed that she should have taken the child to get help.

According to the autopsy report, the little girl died from the Anemia connected to an infection she got from the lice infestation, along with malnutrition.

Watch the News report on the little girl’s death below.