Girl, 7, Died with Top of Baby Bottle in Her Intestines Weighing Just 29 Lbs.

Mar. 15, 2025

Violet Mitchell.Photo:Crawford Funeral Service

Crawford Funeral Service

The medical examiner’s office said it wasn’t clear if the obstruction found in Violet Mitchell’s intestines was “accidental or intentional.”

Shortly after Violet’s death, Mitchell’s mother Lisa, 31, and her boyfriend Anthony Yonko, 37, were arrested. They have since been charged with second-degree murder in connection with Violet’s death. Also charged with second-degree murder are Yonko’s brother David Yonko, 25, and Mitchell’s 25-year-old sister Tiffany, according to theNews Tribune.

The autopsy also found that the girl weighed only 29 lbs. and was “essentially skin on bones,” and had a bacterial infection and abrasions on her cheek, shoulder and left leg.

Lisa Mitchell and Anthony Yonko.Oklahoma County Detention Center

Oklahoma County Detention Center

The case came to light on Aug. 2 when Lisa Mitchell and Anthony Yonko took the child to St. Anthony’s Medical Center around 11:30 a.m.

There, hospital staff noticed the girl was underweight and had bruising, according toKOCO, citing an arrest affidavit.

The couple claimed that “they had been feeding her soup and crackers, thinking she had the flu,” per the affidavit.

Tiffany Mitchell and David Yonko.Oklahoma County Detention Center

A cousin later told police that Lisa Mitchell regularly abused the girl and would tie her legs to the crib using zipties, perKOCO.

A neighbor Tera Day toldKFORthat two days before Violet’s death, she fed the child chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes and carrots.

“I took her because she was hungry,” said Day. “She looked malnourished. … She didn’t tell me anything about her parents, just that they loved her. That’s all she said, and she cried, and I took her back home.

Lisa Mitchell has a hearing scheduled for Nov. 27. David Yonko is scheduled to go to court on Dec. 5. Anthony Yonko has a hearing scheduled for Jan. 22. A hearing is scheduled for Tiffany Mitchell on March 10.

Attorneys for the four defendants could not be reached for comment.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

source: people.com