A mother has been sentenced after her four-year-old daughter tragically passed away after being bottle-fed Mountain Dew.
Tamara Banks, 41, was sentenced to at least nine years in prison after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter for the 2022 death of her daughter, Karmity, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported on Friday.
The tragic incident occurred in January 2022 when Karmity was found unresponsive by Banks and the child’s father, Christopher Hoeb, who then called 911.
Despite initial efforts to revive her, Karmity remained unresponsive and was declared brain dead at the hospital. She was taken off life support a few days later.
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Clermont County Prosecutor Mark Tekulve said: “Karmity suffered for a majority of her short life as a result of the neglect and abuse by her parents,” according to local news station FOX 19.
Prosecutors revealed that Banks and Hoeb denied their daughter proper nutrition and medical care, and Karmity had undiagnosed diabetes.
The couple reportedly fed her Mountain Dew from a baby bottle, often mixing baby formula with the soda. Prosecutors noted that Karmity’s teeth had rotted significantly, and there was no evidence she had ever visited a dentist.
“This is one of the most tragic cases I have ever encountered,” Clermont County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Clay Tharp told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Karmity’s death on January 25, 2022, was attributed to diabetic ketoacidosis, a serious and potentially life-threatening complication of diabetes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that while this condition is most common with Type 1 diabetes, it can also affect those with Type 2.
Prosecutors emphasized that Karmity’s death could have been prevented if her diabetes had been diagnosed and treated. “This child did not have to die,” Tharp stated.
In court, Banks defended her actions, saying, “I thought I was taking care of her.”
Prosecutors also disclosed that Karmity’s death was not the first diabetes-related incident in the household.
Banks’ older son had fallen into a coma at the age of four due to undiagnosed diabetes, and she neglected his medical needs after his recovery.
In July 2023, Banks and Hoeb, 53, were indicted for murder, involuntary manslaughter, and two counts of child endangering. The murder and child-endangering charges were later dismissed.
Hoeb also pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, with his sentencing scheduled for June 11.
While Banks received a nine-year prison sentence, her term can be extended up to 13 and a half years based on her behavior under Ohio state law.