They made a startling discovery Friday after being called to check on a woman in the midst of a mental health crisis: her young daughter’s body, which was “malnourished and mummified.”
Her mother, Kimberly Moore, 46, is now accused of corpse abuse and failure to report a dead body.
Deputies from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office responded Friday to the Home Inn and Suites in Memphis after Moore began making strange statements about her husband owning the hotel and wanting to “ensure employees were doing their job,” according to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by local ABC affiliate WATN.
Moore reportedly continued to make the statements to deputies when they arrived, but they did not express much concern until they “smelled a strong odor emitting from the room” where the defendant was staying, according to the affidavit, as reported by CBS affiliate WREG.
Cops entered the room and discovered her daughter “laying in the hotel bed, unresponsive, cold to the touch, malnourished, and mummified.” The report did not state the girl’s age or cause of death, nor did authorities provide a date of death other than saying she had been there “for quite some time.” It is also unclear whether Moore will face any additional charges.
Moore suffered from a mental health crisis, according to detectives. She allegedly refused to answer investigators’ questions, insisting her daughter was “still with her” and that she “reads her Bible.”
Moore was taken to a healthcare facility for treatment and is currently being held at the Shelby County Jail on a $5,000 bond. Her next court date is set for Monday.
